Just A Burden
by stikenotes
Summary: When Adam drew out Spike in front of Sabrina, it was the last straw. Chase had had enough. He wasn't going to try anymore. He was a burden to his family and everyone around him. It was obvious now that no one had ever really liked him - so why bother trying to make it better? Alternate ending to "Spike Fright". Chase/Sabrina
1. Chapter 1

Lab Rats

Just a Burden

Chapter 1

"Sabrina was the first girl who's ever shown any interest in me and you ruined it. Thanks a lot," Chase sighed and walked away. He turned his head, disguising the tears welling up in his eyes and made his way to the elevator to the lab downstairs.

Chase had been bullied and pushed around by his siblings his entire life. They constantly made fun of him – calling him names like nerd, teasing him about being useless, calling him a girl, and so many other things. When Mr. Davenport had created nicknames for Bree and Adam – Hustle and Muscle – and only said they would find him an "-ustle" and never really meant it or bothered, that had hurt. When he and his siblings had run away to protect the Davenports, Adam and Bree pretended to be a couple and claimed Chase to be their "daughter", Piper. That hurt as well. Did everyone hate him? Had he done something wrong? Why did no one actually want him, except for the one time his maniac father, Douglas, found him in the snow and attempted to convert him to his side. If he had to be honest, he really did have a point. Chase never did get the credit he deserved. He was always neglected by his family and teased for his smarts.

But compared to this, all of that was nothing. Adam was so jealous that his younger brother could actually get a girl to notice him over Adam, he had to do something to screw it all up. According to Adam, it had to be a nightmare or some kind of joke. According to Adam, no one could actually _like _Chase. Especially not a _girl_. So, he had to fix it. How? By making his own little brother make a fool out of himself. By making him look like a _monster_. In front of the only girl who had actually looked at him without laughing because of who he was or using him to get good grades. That hurt. _A lot._ It was like a stabbing pain in his chest that continued for far longer than it should have.

When he arrived at the elevator doors, the tears began to slip down his cheeks, one by one. The doors slid apart and he stepped inside. After pressing the button to take him to the lab below, Chase stepped back and leaned against the wall. He brought his hand up to his face and used his palms to wipe his face clear of the tears. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths so he would not burst into sobs. Why was it so hard for his family to see him with a girl who wanted to be with him too? Was it really so impossible?

Reaching the lab, the doors slid open again and Chase stepped out. He slowed walked over to his capsule and stepped inside. He had had enough. He was sick of his siblings putting him down and teasing him. He wasn't going to let them hurt him anymore. He was done. But it _hurt. _Oh how it hurt him. It burned like fire and ice. It cut away at him like a dulled knife pulling and tugging and a slab of meat over and over until it cut through; it never stopped. They teased and abused and isolated him. And he would never recover from these psychological wounds inflicted on him.

But this time they had gone too far. Enough was enough. As he leaned against the back side of his personal capsule and slid down he made the decision. If no one loved him, then he would just let them. It was obvious they never liked him, so he would let them continue disliking him. He would get in their way; he wouldn't speak to them so they wouldn't be annoyed; he wouldn't hang around them to be teased and called names or sent away because he was an embarrassment. He wasn't going to be a burden to them anymore.

When reached the bottom of the capsule, he brought up his hand to wipe away the final wave of tears and they instantaneously stopped. He closed his eyes, pressed them into his drawn up knees, and fell asleep. 

The next morning, Chase woke up early – earlier than usual. He was always up before his siblings cut never by this much time. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still on the floor of his capsule rather than standing up. He glanced left and right seeing Adam and Bree still asleep next to him. He stood and pushed open the door to his personal capsule. Discovering that it was 5:19, he blinked and considered going back to sleep, but decided against it realizing he had not finished all of his homework from the night before.

Before going upstairs to finish his assignments, Chase returned to his capsule to change out of his clothes from yesterday into new ones for that day. After completing the task, he climbed into the elevator and went up to the second floor where his homework awaited him. Entering the family room and flicking the light switch on, he noticed that the destruction from the night before was absent. There was no evidence that Spike had ever been there. The remains of his Chemistry project were missing as well. Deciding to find and repair it later, he pulled out his backpack and unzipped the pockets to find a pencil and his homework. The pencil he laid carefully on the table in front of him before pulling out his notebooks and textbooks he would need.

Yawning, Chase started his homework. He knew it would take him less than an hour to complete because of his super-smarts, but he took his time. He had nothing better to do. 

Just over an hour had passed when Chase completed the homework. Putting his school supplies away, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned to see Tasha Davenport coming down the stairs in her teal silk pajamas and bare feet.

"Chase, how are you sweetie? We didn't see you at dinner last night. Are you okay?" Tasha asked.

Tasha seemed to be the only person who ever cared about Chase. She was certainly the only one who was actually _kind _to him. Never had she spoken a rude comment to or about him. She was always so supportive and always seemed to be proud of him even though she never got to spend much time with him. If Chase had to be honest, it was Tasha that he loved the most. He hardly even knew her and they had never really had any special times together, but there were never any bad times either. And he loved her for it.

"I'm okay. I just didn't feel well last night. I went to bed early." He replied. It was partially true. He did go to bed early and didn't feel well, but not in the way he wanted Tasha to think. Hopefully she believed he just had a stomach ache or something of the like.

"Aww, are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," Chase lied. "Loads better."

"Good," Tasha came and sat next to him. Nudging him on the shoulder she teased, "Donald told me you had a girl over last night. How did it go?"

Chase frowned. "It didn't. She wasn't interested. We just worked on a project. That's all." He looked away.

"Aw, baby, I'm so sorry. Sometimes girls are tricky. They act like they're interested when they're really not. Did she use you to get a good grade?" Tasha rubbed his shoulder.

"No, she just wasn't interested in me like I thought she was." Chase felt terrible for lying to her, but he didn't want to share what had really occurred the night before. He didn't want to burden her with his problems. Because that's all he was to anyone else: a burden. That was the last thing he wanted to do to Tasha. She was the mother he needed but never had when he was little.

Turning his focus back to the table in front of him, he sighed. "It's okay. I'm used to it. I'm a nerd. Girls don't like nerds, and this is just something I'll have to get used to."

Tasha moved her hand up to stroke his hair and Chase rested his head on Tasha's shoulder, tears welling up again in his eyes. He knew what he said was the truth. The only girl who had ever shown interest in him was gone and no other girl would ever look at him again for anything other than good grades. He sniffled and tears came more steadily, cascading down his cheeks and onto Tasha's pajamas. The mother and son rested there for quite some time. Chase eventually fell back into a slumber. 

When Chase woke again, there was a sounding of shoes on the stairs. Mr. Davenport was up and coming down for breakfast before setting off for work. Chase sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes. He glanced around to see the time, startling Tasha a bit.

"Chase?" Mr. Davenport asked. "You're up pretty early, aren't you? I usually don't see you before 7:30! It's ten 'til!"

Rubbing his eyes again, Chase replied, "I had to finish my homework from yesterday. I didn't feel well last night, so I went to bed early."

"Oh, is that where you were last night? What happened to the gir-" He cut off, looking at his wife. "I mean… did you sleep well?"

Looking down, Chase fiddled with his hands. "You can talk about Sabrina. I don't mind. I'm over it now."

"She ditched when it was done, didn't she?" Donald questioned.

"Donald!" Tasha cried. "What a terrible thing to say! Especially when Chase is hurting. Poor baby." She wrapped her arms around him once more.

"Right! I'm sorry, Chase." Donald replied.

_No you're not. You never liked me anyway._ Chase thought. _Nobody ever did._

"I'm going to go finish getting ready. Pack up my project and stuff…" Chase trailed off and got up. When he got into another room, he clenched his fists.

_Do not cry. Do _not _cry. _He told himself.

When he reigned in his emotions, Chase looked around for the remnants of his project from the night before. When he couldn't find them in that room, he returned back to the kitchen to search. He returned to muffled words of anger from Tasha to her husband. She pointed to the direction Chase had just left the room from and then brought her hand back to jab the same finger into Mr. Davenport's chest. She must have seen Chase out of the corner of her eye because she quickly spun around and smiled at him.

"How about some breakfast, Chase? You must be hungry considering you missed dinner last night." She quickly made steps into the kitchen.

"Maybe in a minute. I'm still packing up my project."

"Oh. Okay. Let me know when you're hungry, sweetie, okay?" She turned back toward Donald and glared at him.

Chase turned into the kitchen and spotted a cabinet door that was not completely closed. Upon further inspection, Chase discovered that a plastic bin was keeping the door open. He pulled out the bin and pried off the lid. The small pieces of his molecule were lying in a heap in the bin. He closed the cabinet door and stood with the bin in his arms. Grabbing his backpack, he slipped on his shoes and walked out the front door, knowing he could get to school to finish his project with no interruptions and no encounters with his family members – especially Adam.


	2. Chapter 2

Lab Rats

Just A Burden

Chapter 2

Luckily for Chase, he was able to make it to his first period class with his completed project before Adam, Bree, and Leo arrived. And Principal Perry hadn't bothered him while he was completing his project, enough he was the first student at school. She left him to work alone. Apparently he was a burden to her as well. Nothing new then.

His day went normally. He progressed through each of his classes as usual, at least the first half. During his lunch break, he found himself seated in the lobby, on top of the circular bench in the center of the floor. His fingers were entwined through each other and his elbows rested on his slightly separated knees. His head tipped forward and he looked down, studying his shoes and their molecular make up – again. Chase often found himself doing this activity – though it was not very enjoyable – because there was nothing else to do but listen to teachers lecture on and on about topics he already knew forwards, backwards, upside-down, and inside-out.

He found himself visualizing the laces in particular today – how each thread looped over and under another creating a complex cylindrical form that could expand and tighten or compress and loosen. He was just beginning to dive into what the thread was composed he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

"Chase?" It was Adam.

The contemplating genius immediately stopped his thought process and stood, making his way to any place that Adam was _not_.

"Chase, wait!" Adam called out. "Chase, look. I –"

Chase cut him off and turned to look back at his older brother. "Adam, I don't want to hear it. You ruined my chances with the only girl who has ever even _looked_ at me – and you did it _on purpose_. You ruined my social life forever!"

"Chase, to be fair, you kind of have to have a social life for me to ruin it," Adam smiled, obviously thinking he was making a good joke.

Before Adam could begin speaking again, Chase spat, "You think you're so funny, don't you? Making fun of your little brother, the nerd. _Don't you?!_ Well, I've got news for you. I _don't_. It's not funny. Did you ever even consider how this would make me feel? Did you think about haw this would hurt my feelings? Did you ever even care _at all?_" Chase closed his mouth before the oncoming sobs could escape. Tears were already escaping from the corners of his eyes.

"What? No, Chase, I –"

Adam tried to defend himself, but Chase cut him off again. "No, save it. I know you never cared. All I've ever been to you, and Bree, and Leo, and everyone is a burden. Just another thing you have to deal with for a little while before you can get away and move on with your life! None of you ever cared about me," The tears were coming quite steadily now and Chase's voice was beginning to shake. "All you have ever cared about is the soonest time you can get rid of me or the next time you can tease me about my height, my hair, my intelligence…

"I've had enough! I'm not going to do this anymore! I won't put up with the teasing and being left out!" Chase brought up his hand to wipe away his tears and growled, "If you don't want me, fine. I'm gone."

Throwing his hands down, Chase ripped the doors to the cafeteria open and walked in. Anger and hurt dripped from his countenance and the room grew silent as the students took notice of him. Some dared to continue their stare while others looked for moments and nervously returned their gaze to back to their food resting on the tables. Flo, the lunch lady behind the counter look up and noticed his attitude, rolling her eyes at yet another emotional teenager.

Bree and Leo, who were seated at their usual table, stood. Bree made a few steps toward Chase. "Chase? Where have you been? You weren't at breakfast this morning." Noticing his attitude she changed her question. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Chase glared at her and Leo before making his way to another table at the far side of the cafeteria. The table was empty and Chase pulled out the nearest seat and planted himself in it. His hands kneaded into his hair and his elbows rested on the cool plastic table. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the world around him. Before he could completely cut himself off, he heard the cafeteria doors slam open.

"Chase, just listen to me!" Adam called out from the door way, "Let me explain."

Chase stood up and turned to face his older brother who was making his way through the crowd of teenagers toward him. "There's nothing to explain, Adam. Now, will you please leave me alone?" His voice dropped to a whisper with his last words. He pushed his chair out of the way and trudged to the door leading back into the lobby. When he passed his siblings he sighed, "You don't need to pretend you care anymore…"

Chase found himself stumbling into the bathroom a few moments later. He sank against the cool cinder-block wall and pressed his palms into his eyes. He found himself in position very often recently – or positions very similar to it anyway. He found that it helped him not to cry and calm down. However, his breathing was shaky. It was evident that he was about to burst into tears again.

_Deep breaths, Chase. Deep breaths. _He thought. In… out. In… out. After a few minutes, he heard the bell ring, signaling that lunch was over. It was time for him to go to his next class.

_Chemistry. With Sabrina._

Crap.

Chase had previously dropped all of his things in the Chemistry lab before he went to lunch. When he walked in, he found his seat with his backpack beside it and the molecule project on top and slouched into it. People began trickling in behind him. Most people ignored him when they walked in – like usual – but when Sabrina walked in with her friends close behind, she paused and stared at him. The two stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Chase smiled weakly, and immediately Sabrina turned around and began whispering to her friends while they stepped into their desks. When Sabrina stopped, her two friends turned their heads to look at Chase. One glared at him and the other looked a bit frightened. Chase's smiled dissipated. He turned to face the front of the class and fingered the bits of the molecule sitting on the desk in front of him.

Suddenly, he heard Sabrina's friends protesting something and Sabrina appeared in front of his vision of the whiteboard in front. Chase smiled, thinking that she wasn't afraid of him opened her mouth and closed it again. She paused, and opened her mouth again – this time she spoke. "Okay, this is what's going to happen. We're going to present our molecule project. We are going to turn it in. We will return to our seats and then, it's over. Nothing else. Got it?"

Chase's smile disappeared again. "Oh, uh, yeah. Got it." He looked back down at their project, mentally sighing. Any hopes of being with Sabrina drifted out the door. Adam had ruined everything. To him, Chase was worthless and deserved nothing but unhappiness and a daily reminder of just how worthless he was. It was clear to Chase now. Nothing could change his mind and nothing could repair the damage done to it.

The chemistry teacher, Miss Gotschaw, walked into the room and set her things down on her desk by the door. With a smile, she stepped to the front of the room. "Alright, as you know, we will be presenting your projects today. I will be selecting which group will go first. You will describe your molecule, explain where it is found, and what it is used for. Remember, whoever has the best model will earn extra credit points and be exempt from their next major assignment. Good luck."

Chase did not need the extra points nor did he need the exemption from the next big grade, but he wanted them anyway. Sure, he had nearly a perfect grade in the class but he still wanted the perks nonetheless. They would keep his GPA up and get him into the best college he could find. And maybe – just maybe – they could get him into good graces with Sabrina again.

_Gosh, she's gorgeous._ Chase thought. He was smitten. And before the incident last night, he thought that she felt the same toward him. But his feelings remained the same. She was beautiful, smart, honest, funny, sweet. _She's perfect._ He hoped that having the best model and receiving the benefits that came with it would better his relationship with her.

Before she said she wanted to work with him, he hadn't really cared. But, when she came and spoke to him about it, he was so excited. She was interested in him and not just for his smarts! But, after Spike reared his head, his hopes had been crushed. When he remembered what having the best project could do for him that morning, he wanted to make it better than ever – just for Sabrina. Maybe she would give him another chance.

The class was nearly over. Chase and Sabrina were the last to go. The partners floated to the front of the room. Chase set the model on the table and looked to Sabrina, asking if she was ready. She nodded and turned away.

"Alright, Chase. Sabrina. Take it away." Miss Gotschaw said, a large grin on her face.

Sabrina stood with her lips clamped shut. Chase took this as his cue. He began explaining his project, trying not to sound too much like a nerd. While explaining, he gestured with his hands and pointed to specific points of their model. He showed off important bonds and elements that were crucial to the compound. He began to get excited. He spoke faster and faster. He almost forgot where he was. He explained so many things and wandered around the molecule, an enormous grin split his face. The third time he rounded the table, Sabrina stopped him with a hand on his arm. An electric shot zipped up his bones into his skull. He stopped mid-sentence.

"Thanks, Chase," she dropped he grip and turned back to her classmates. "Any questions?"

One boy in the back of the classroom raised his hand. "I got one, for Chase. Were you born a nerd or did you have to train?" The boy sat back in his seat and smirked. The remaining students laughed.

Chase frowned. He grabbed the model off of the table and slunk to his teacher's desk. He set the model down and Miss Gotschaw stood. "Alright, that's enough. Preston, shame on you. I have told you time and time again, I will not tolerate bullying in my classroom. Detention for the rest of the week. Report right after school. I will give you your assignment then." She turned to Chase. "I'm sorry, Chase. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." He smiled, though it never reached his eyes. "Don't worry about it." He turned his back and returned to his seat. People were still giggling at him. Except Sabrina. She looked kind of scared. She probably was recalling what happened last night when she had laughed at him and was hoping it would not happen again.

Chase tore his eyes away from her. He crossed his arms across his desk and rested his forehead against them. He did not look up again for ten minutes when Miss Gotschaw called out to him and Sabrina. He looked up and got out of his seat. He arrived at the large wooden desk, Sabrina close behind him.

"Congratulations, you two. Your project just got you extra credit and the exemption from your next big assignment. Great work!" She smiled.

Chase's expression changed slightly. He smiled a little realizing that his hopes may have just become a reality. But Preston's teasing was still fresh in his mind. He returned to his seat for the third time and slumped down, returning to his previous position. Very soon afterwards, the bell rang signaling that it was class change. He rose out of his seat and sluggishly lifted his backpack, swinging it around onto his back. He was one of the last to leave the room. When he finally got to the door, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sabrina looking at him, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Sabrina?" Chase was confused. "I thought you said –"

"Never mind what I said." She stopped him. "Thanks, Chase, for getting us such a good grade. This is going to help my grade a lot. I was failing but now, I can bring my grade up."

"Oh, well, you're welcome, I guess." He responded, unsure of what to say to her.

"But don't think this changes anything. I know what you really are, you_ monster._" She glared at him and walked away.

Chase was speechless. Sabrina's words cut like knives. They knocked the breath right out him. _Monster? Is that what she really thinks?_ Chase thought, horrified that he was that frightening. Hot tears began pouring down his cheeks, again. Sooner or later, he would run out of them. He had cried so many times in the pasts two days; he was surprised that there were any tears left at all. His tears nearly blinding him, he made his way to his next and final class before his free period at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, he migrated from the cafeteria where his free period was to the lobby of the school so he could head home. Adam was waiting for him on the steps.

"Chase!" He called out when he saw him. He took the steps up to his younger brother two at a time.

"I don't want to talk to you, Adam. I thought I already told you that," Chase didn't stop or look up at his brother.

"Chase, please just let me explain," Adam huffed and followed his brother down.

"There's nothing to explain!" Chase had finally reached the bottom of the stair and turned around, glaring with teary eyes at his brother. "I know what you did and you know what you did. There's nothing else to talk about."

"Chase, I only need a minute to defend myself! Please, just give me a chance! Please, Chasey…" He trailed off.

Chase was not swayed. "No. I'm going home. There's nothing that you can say that will persuade me that you actually care about me. You want to know why? Because I know that you don't and I'm positive that you know that too," Chase told him. He turned and began walking away again. "Just leave me alone. Like you usually do, whenever you're not degrading me."

Adam was silent for a minute. From behind him, Chase heard him call out after a moment, "Chase! Come back! CHASE!"

Chase broke out into a sprint, but the tears had finally run out.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**

**Sorry it's been so long, folks. My life has been really busy lately trying to catch up with school and such. For the record, I am not quite sure how steady updating will be. Hopefully I will be able to put up at least one chapter per week, if not more. However, as I am still in High School, finals week and exams will take away from my abilities to write. I will still do my best, but unfortunately I cannot make any promises. Anyway, back to _Just A Burden_.**

Lab Rats

Chapter 3

When Chase arrived back at home, Bree and Leo were seated on the gray couch in front of him. Bree had one of the pillows cuddled up to her chest and Leo was bent over, resting his elbows on his knees and staring at the shaggy rug beneath his feet. Leo flinched when he spotted Chase walk through the front door and Bree lifted her gaze only to glare at her younger brother, recalling how he had treated them at lunch.

Chase's gaze, however, did not change because of their reaction. He took notice of their reactions but continued to the elevator that would take him to his destination. He got into the elevator, feeling his stomach float as it drifted down to the laboratory below. The doors dinged and slid open. He stepped out and made his way to his capsule. He threw his backpack down in front of it and sat down inside.

He sat staring at his feet, when he realized the elevator was coming down again. He had not realized that it went back up. _Crap,_ he thought, _that must be Adam._ _He's probably coming to beat me up, again._ He stood up.

He looked around, searching out a place where he could hide himself. Finding no good place to take cover, he began to panic. He did not want Adam to throw him again. It was always so painful. Every time his older brother threw him, he would find bruises the next morning. Sometimes the bruises were the worst on his ribs and he would wheeze throughout the day if he exerted himself too much. Other times, Adam would punch him so hard that his arm would go numb. It would hang limply from his side for nearly an hour. The bruises would present themselves the next day in those cases as well.

In every case, Chase would tell Mr. Davenport exactly what had happened and the results of Adam's abuse. Donald had said that he would speak to the elder bionic, but there were never any permanent results. Adam might have apologizes a few times, but within a few hours, he was back to his normal activities of using Chase as his personal punching bag, football, or – in some cases – jump rope. The abuse never ceased and it never would. That much was obvious to Chase now. It would continue for as long as the two brothers were around each other.

Before the doors slid open, Chase remembered a detail about the lab that he had never found to be very important. The floor was compartmentalized. The hexagons could fall down into the floor for storage! Chase ran to the wall and typed into a panel on the wall that would open the floor where he could hide himself. The nearest section slid down and Chase grabbed the tablet from the desk. He jumped into the hole in the floor, landing on his feet. He taped across the screen and the floor closed overhead just as the elevator doors opened.

The compartment was pitch black except for the faint light from the tablet in his hands. He looked up to the floor above him, giving him a sensation of vertigo. It was strange – knowing that the floor was above and you were beneath it, staring up at the bottom. The darkness didn't help either. If it were not for gravity, he would have felt like he was about to drift up and flip over so his body would regain normality and stand on the floor.

But then again, wasn't this the same as being on a different floor of a house? Having one floor above and another beneath? He supposed it was similar, but it still felt strange and bizarre to him. It was not normal. He did not enjoy the darkness and the strange feeling he had while hiding out under the floor.

He heard Adam walking above his head. Instantly, he sucked in a breath and held it, as if he were hiding from a criminal or a monster. He could hear Adam speaking, but could not quite make out what his words were. The floor muffled the sound. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps ceased. Chase flicked his eyes back and forth, almost frightened that Adam had found his hiding place.

The thumping of Adam's shoes commenced again. Chase let out the air his lungs had been holding captive. The sounds grew softer and softer until they dissipated altogether. Adam had left.

Chase turned on the tablet in his hand and swiped fingers across the screen. He entered the access code and tapped the icon that would open the floor and lift up the compartment he was in. Light flooded in above his head and the floor elevated to match the height of the other floor tiles around it. When it reached level, Chase stepped off and set the table back on the desk he had taken it from. He turned back to the floor where he had been hiding. There were a few wooden boxes, most labeled fragile. He opened one and found the beginnings – and remains – of projects that Mr. Davenport had probably never finished or had been destroyed either by the fire in the old lab or broken by accident.

He pulled out what seemed to be a type of crystal geode – maybe? He turned it over several times in his hands. It was tinted a bluish purple. It was almost a periwinkle, but not quite. The light going through the crystal spilled onto his hand, tinting it with the almost-periwinkle color. Chase smiled for the first time in a while. He did not know why, but this crystal made him feel happy. Maybe it was the way the color seemed to leak out onto him.

This crystal seemed to be able to do what he could not. The crystal could leave a good feeling and influence others around it in a good, positive way. It could leave others better off. Chase, however, felt that he could not do that. He had tried in the past to help others and teach them using the knowledge his chip gave him. But, his light had no way to tint others. It was as if there was no light shining through him.

Chase frowned, realizing that his thoughts lead him down a negative path into his own world. He wiped the thoughts away and went back to his positive thinking. At least the crystal whatever-it-was could do its job. It could help others.

Chase smiled again. Maybe he could become like the crystal again. Maybe – just maybe – if he worked hard, he could get people to like him. He would have to change. Maybe stop acting so smart. That would be hard to do, but he wanted to try. Maybe Chase would get involved with some sport. Lacrosse? Wrestling? Track and field? Basketball? Chase was beginning to get excited. He could get people to like him! He just needed to act like the others!

Chase was lost in thoughts of how to regain the positive opinion of his peers when he heard a voice ring out.

"I'm telling you Mr. Davenport," Adam explained, "He's not down here. I just looked 5 minutes ago."

Adam followed behind an impatient looking Donald Davenport. Donald said, "Nonsense, Adam. Where else would he be?" Donald turned and spotted Chase in front of him. "Chase! There you are! Where have you been?"

Chase jumped and the crystal slipped from his grip. It crashed down to the floor and Chase cringed. That was _not _good. It was probably _extremely_ valuable. Its pieces scattered and made a screeching noise as they scraped the tiling on the floor. The colored pieces spread out the tiles and scratched the surface, leaving small lines in the floor. Chase flinched and slowly turned his attention towards his adoptive father.

Donald Davenport's eyes were wider than dinner plates. He was staring down at the shattered crystal on the floor, dumb-founded. His jaw hung open and he did not move for what seemed an entire lifetime to Chase.

"Mr. Davenport, I'm so sorry! I – " Chase started, but the billionaire interrupted his apology.

"Chase! What are you doing? That project cost me 10 million dollars and you shattered it! What were you thinking?" He knelt down on the floor near his son's feet and scrambled to grab all the pieces of the crystal.

"It was an accident! You scared me! I'm so sorry, Mr. Davenport!" Chase tried to explain but the man cut him off again.

"Sorry doesn't fix my project or get me back all the money I just spent on it!" He stood up with the shattered remains in his hands. "Chase, you are supposed to be the smartest of the three. When are you going to act like it?" Mr. Davenport sighed and walked away muttering under his breath, "I expected so much more from you…"

Chase stood, speechless, staring at Donald's back as it moved further away. The tears that had not been his companion for many hours decided to return at this moment. The pushed at the barriers and filled to the rim. Chase's breathing became short huffs and inhalations of the air in front of him. Silently, the tears dribbled out of their cells in Chase's eyes. They slipped down his cheeks. When Chase felt them, he clamped his eyes shut and wiped the silver globules off of his face. He opened his eyes again and found Adam staring at him.

Chase glared at him, daring his older brother to speak one word to him. Seeing his brother's attitude, Adam raised his hands in defense and backed away. After several steps, the tall boy turned and got back into the elevator.

Chase turned away and resumed his crying. Even his own father hated him. Well, adopted father. Douglas was his biological father. He wondered, _Does he hate me too?_

He really hoped not. Douglas was the only person who understood anything about what his life was like. Living in the shadows of a sibling's achievements. Constant teasing and bullying for intelligence. Never really having any true friends – people who wouldn't betray you in the end. Douglas had Krane and …. Chase after the avalanche incident and Chase had Marcus, Adam…. Sabrina. Douglas understood him, even if it was in a weird, twisted way. Chase was not and evil person so he did not fully understand Douglas, but now that his father was good again, Douglas had the capacity to understand his son.

_No,_ he thought to himself. _He doesn't hate me. He couldn't – no, wouldn't. Not after what we've both been through. _

These thoughts and realizations brought hope to Chase. Now he had two people who would be there for him: Tasha and Douglas – hopefully. There was no sure answer for them, but from how Tasha treated him that morning, he was optimistic about her. Douglas was the same. Not 100% positive, but there was hope.

The tears slowed to a stop. Chase glanced at the time on a nearby desk reading 4:45. He needed to get started on his homework. He wanted to finish before collapsing into bed today. He loaded himself into the elevator, still sorrowing over the broken crystal – but not to the point that he would break down – and went upstairs. He walked to the nearest bathroom and shut the door behind him. Turning on the faucet, he splashed some water on his face.

Gripping the edges of the sink, he thought, _Okay, no more tears. Nobody cares and nobody will so just cut it out. It's time to get on with your life. They don't want you, so you don't want them. You only have to stick around for another year and then you can graduate and go to college. Just hold on until then. You don't need them for a crutch. You can stand on your own. You don't need their help; you can manage everything without them. You don't need anyone else anymore. From now on, you are own your own. Never again just a burden._

He dried his hands and face on towel hanging from the rack on the wall. He turned and opened the door. He walked out with his new found confidence and returned to the lab to take complete control of his life – and his chip.

_No more crutches. No more block on the commando app. I can handle it._

He made his way down to the desk and plugged the USB drive in his finger into the desk. He typed strings of code and hacked into the settings on his chip. He found the commando app under heavy levels of blockage and security. With a few more lines of code, he removed all of them. He now had free access to the commando app. He could use it whenever he wanted and he could learn to control it.

He could use Spike to help people – to help himself. To defend himself. He wouldn't let people bully him anymore. He was taking control of his life. He was the master of his own destiny.


	4. Chapter 4

Lab Rats

Chapter 4

It had been a few days since Chase unblocked his commando app – four to be exact. He had been able to live his life fairly normally. Well, minus all the bullying from his siblings. Bree and Leo hadn't teased him about his height or his smarts. Adam hadn't teased him, punched him, thrown him, or anything. He hadn't even spoken to him. Everyone had finally learned to just leave him alone. They no longer felt the need to pretend to like him. Tasha still spoke to him and occasionally Mr. Davenport would as well. He was still frustrated that his project was destroyed, but he still spoke to him at dinner and about missions and training.

Douglas, however, gave him funny looks. He would examine his son with critical eyes – judge him with his stare. It made the boy uncomfortable. He wondered why he looked at him so. Did he hate him? Was he trying to find a way to betray his family again? Why was he staring at him like that? And why so often? If he had to be honest, it frightened him. What was Douglas doing? What was he up to? His silent questions were endless.

At dinner, the family sat at their glass table. Each person sat at their usual place and everyone was scarfing down the food on their plates. Everyone but Chase. And Douglas. Douglas was again staring at his son. Chase was sitting uncomfortably in sit seat. Fork in hand, he glanced up every minute or so to see if his father was still looking at him. Every time he was looking at him. Douglas was leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes bored into the side of Chase's skull. He had not eaten anything.

The staring made Chase restless. He fidgeted in his seat. He set his fork down on his plate, prongs facing inward and moved his hands to the sides of his chair where they clamped down. His knuckles turned white as he stared down at his lap.

_Okay,_ he thought, _I'll look up one more time. If he's still staring at me… Well, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something._

He loosened his grip on his seat. He lifted his eyes for the last time. They traveled across his plate, the table, and the table settings. When they reached his father's face, they found his eyes. Once again they were staring him down like hungry vultures watched roadkill.

There was a loud scraping sound. Chase slid his chair back and stood quickly, making everyone at the table jump and look at him. Even Douglas twitched in surprise.

"What?!" Chase bellowed. "Why are you staring at me? What is your _problem_?"

Douglas sat silently in his seat, still staring his son down.

Donald spoke, "Chase, sit down! Why are you yelling? What's going on?"

"Your brother has been staring at me for four days straight! Four days, and I don't know why! It's weird," Chase responded with his eyes still aimed at Douglas.

"Douglas, is that true?" Tasha piped in.

Douglas remained silent for a minute, then spoke quietly. "Chase, can I speak to you privately for a minute?' Without waiting for an answer, he got up and let the table.

Chase followed his father with his eyes as he walked away. When he stopped at the living room couch, Chase turned back to his family. His brothers and sister were staring at him. He made eye contact with Leo and Bree, who immediately looked back down to their food. He looked at Tasha who patted his arm, encouraging him to speak with Douglas.

Chase stepped away from the table and made his way to the couch, sitting next to his father. "What?" he questioned angrily.

Douglas quickly turned his head towards his son and rested his elbows on his knees. "Why are you turning away from your family?"

Chase was taken back by his father's inquiry. "Wha- What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you pulling away from them? You haven't spoken to them in days. You don't play video games with Adam or Leo anymore. When someone enters a room you're in, you leave immediately. They don't speak to you either," he lifted his hand and set it on Chase's shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

Chase jerked his shoulder away. "Why do _you_ care? You never spoke to your family before you came here, so why does it matter when I do the same thing?"

"Chase, that was a mistake. I made the wrong decision and I don't want you to do the same thing." Douglas quietly responded, trying to calm his youngest son.

Chase stood and yelled, getting angrier and angrier by the second. "This isn't the wrong decision! I'm doing what's best for me! I'm protecting myself from getting hurt again! And if you can't understand that –" Chase's bellows suddenly cut off. His head jerked upwards toward the ceiling and his eyes glazed over. He stood silently for a moment and his family stared at him, dumbfounded. Before anyone could speak up, Chase's head twitched back down to its normal level. Bionic lasers could be seen spinning and flashing in his eyes.

Spike was there to play.

When Chase came to, he found himself pinned to the floor by Adam, Bree, Leo, and Mr. Davenport. He blinked several times before opening his mouth. "What happened?"

The four looked each other deep in the eyes before deciding who would speak and what they would say.

Leo piped up when no one else did. "Um, well… Spike came for a visit. And you, um… Well, he kind of fought with Douglas. And slammed him up against the wall. And knocked him out. And may have given him a concussion. And some broken ribs. Maybe," he rambled.

His family members got up and brushed themselves off. Adam reached down to pull his brother up, but Chase ignored his extended hand and stood up himself. He looked past his family to see Douglas unconscious against the wall. Tasha was there, checking vital signs to ensure that he was alright, phone in hand speaking to an emergency dispatcher.

"I- I did that? Spike did that?" Chase stuttered, tears forming in his eyes. "No, I – I couldn't have. I would never… Spike would never… No." Chase trailed off, not knowing what exactly he should say.

Donald spoke up. "You almost killed him."

"No… I didn't mean to. I was an accident. I have no control over Spike…" Chase tried to redeem himself.

"That may be true, but you still removed the safety from the commando app. His injuries are a result of _your _actions, as well as Spikes," Donald scolded, never raising his voice.

"DONALD!" Tasha yelled. "How could you say something like that to him? Can't you see he is sorry? That he is hurting? He had no control over that app. It's not his fault. It's not like he did it on purpose!" She stood making her way to her youngest adoptive son, reaching out to comfort him.

Chase flinched away. "No, he's right. I took off the restrictions. This is all my fault. I can't control Spike. I only get people hurt." Chase turned away and walked to the elevator, Donald glaring at him the entire way.

When the elevator lurched to the bottom, Chase got off and got in to his capsule. He sat down and pressed his cheekbones into his knees. He could just barely see above them. He stared out into the lab before him, thinking of all the mistakes he had made in the past weeks – his entire life. Trusting Marcus, believing that his family actually wanted him, trying to control Spike, believing he might actually have a girlfriend… Sabrina.

He thought he had gotten over that situation, but he thought of her constantly. He couldn't get her out of his head. When he thought of homework, he thought of the time he had enjoyed with her and her gorgeous smile, her sweet laugh, her excitement to learn and work with him. He had messed up. Adam messed him up. He made him angry with his teasing and… Spike.

Spike was the problem. Not him. It was all Spike. Spike ruined everything. The solution was clear to him now. If Chase couldn't tame the beast, he would have to slay it. He had to get rid of Spike. Chase lifted his head at the realization. He just had to get rid of Spike. Maybe he could fix things with Sabrina and his father. Maybe things could go back to normal. Well, close to normal. He knew things would never be completely normal again. Especially with his newfound knowledge that his family did not want him. But without Spike, things might turn up for him. They just might get better.

He opened the capsule door, and stepped out. He walked to the cyberdesk and put in his USB finger drive. His other hand danced across the screens and, for the second time that week, he went into the setting for his bionic chip. He found a list of apps. Molecular kinesis, force field, GPS. He scrolled down the list until he found the Commando App: the band of his existence. Tapping on it, he opened a new screen for the apps settings.

The elevator dinged open and Adam and Mr. Davenport stepped out. Donald spoke, "Chase, the ambulance is here. We're going to take Douglas to… What are you doing?" He noticed Chase's hands in and on the cyberdesk.

"I'm removing the Commando App. It has brought me nothing but trouble and I want it out of my life." He moved his hand, pausing above the delete option.

"You're _what_? No, Chase! You can't –" Donald cried out, but before he could stop him, Chase slammed his hand down onto the button.

Chase went rigid. Electrical signals and pulses were sent through his body. His mouth was stuck open – frozen open. He stood nearly still. His body quivered in small waves. He shook for nearly a full minute before he suddenly stopped. He stood still again, this time in complete silence. There was a burning sensation in his head. He wanted to scream. A part of him was being ripped from his head. He was being torn in two. It was like someone was sawing his brain in half with a dull knife. It was a long, strenuous process. If he had been in control of his actions, he would have cried out. This was wrong; it was a mistake. The deletion of the app was tearing him to shreds. He hadn't realized how much of him had been Spike. Removing Spike felt like he was removing his right arm. Spike was a vital part to him and now he was being erased and stripped away.

_No, _he thought. _This needs to stop. I've made a mistake. It's taking away too much! _Spike was too much of him. It was tearing away Spike, but it was tearing away _Chase _too. He didn't want to be a different person. He didn't realize how much Spike influenced him. And now… he would never be the same again. Chase would no longer be Chase.

There was a whirring noise and Chase snapped back into reality. He tugged his finger out of the port in the desk and retracted the USB drive back into his hand. He blinked and turned back to his family who were staring at him as though he had a creature growing out of his body. They were frozen in place, much like Chase had been earlier.

Chase glared back at them. He used to feel only sadness when he looked at them – sorrow sometimes. He had wanted to please them. But when he removed Spike, he felt nothing but hate. Complete and utter loathing. He was consumed with this rage. Chase hated them and everything about them. Before he removed Spike, he would have been afraid of this feeling, but now he welcomed it. It felt like a newfound strength. He hated them and it gave him power over them. He was strong and powerful. They couldn't put him down anymore. Not when he could do the same to them and so much worse. Removing Spike was not a mistake anymore. It was redemption, relief, and freedom.

Chase growled, "What?" at his brother and adoptive father. When they flinched away at his tone, he smirked, pleased at how he had frightened them. They knew who was in charge here now. "That's what I thought."

Chase stalked away, shoving past them. He laughed to himself. "Pansies," he taunted. He went back up to the main floor of the high-tech home and sat himself on the sofa. Next to him were the medics loading Douglas onto a stretcher. His step-brother, sister, and adoptive mother watched the man closely, concern for his welfare etched into their faces. Seeing his injured father on the stretcher made him laugh again.

_He had it coming. Serves him right._ Chase grinned relaxing back into the furniture. He grabbed the television remote and turned on the television, crossing one leg across the other.

Things were getting to be _so _much better.


	5. Chapter 5

Lab Rats

Chapter 5

When Douglas arrived back from the hospital, Chase was found lying across the couch sprawled out like a labyrinth. He had one arm folded underneath his head; the other tossed a rubber ball above his head. He tossed the ball up and caught one-handed several times after the door opened. He ignored his family members walking in, his father in tow with a brace curled around his torso. Chase continued to ignore them until Tasha spoke.

"Chase," she sang, "Sweetheart, we're back. Douglas is going to be just fine. He just needs to rest for a bit."

Hearing her voice, he looked behind him by tilting his head back and grunted apathetically. He allowed his neck to relax again and set the ball down on his stomach. Chase reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone and earbuds. Plugging the cord into the headphone jack, he pressed the rubbery speakers into his ears and turned on his music. The pounding bass drums of Imagine Dragons filled his ears. He replaced his arm underneath his head and resumed his lazy activity of throwing the ball in the air above his head and catching it.

Chase heard muffled speech under his music. In order to completely drown out all the annoying noises of his family, he turned the music up even louder. The drumming rattled his mind. It was almost painful, but he would rather have the music too loud than listen to the idiotic voices of his family members.

Watching the ball go up and down, he grew lost in thought. His family was made up of morons. He hated them. Whenever they were around, he felt like his IQ dropped by a hundred points – even if two of them were supposed to be geniuses. His intelligence far surpassed theirs. He was _built_ to know everything! His brother was an imbecile and his sister had the same level of intelligence as a cow with dyslexia. They were all inferior to his intelligence.

All of a sudden, someone snatched the ball out of the air before Chase could catch it again. His hand remained hovering in the air, waiting for his ball to return back to its normal activity. When the feeling of the ball never came back, he sat up and turned to find Adam behind the couch, holding his distraction from his bothersome family.

He opened his mouth and bellowed, "Hey! I think you have something that belongs to me. Want to give it back or lose your _walking privilege_?" Chase growled his last words and lowered his head to intimidate his older brother.

Adam crouched down and moved his head directly in front of Chase, unfazed by Chase's previous actions. "No. l won't give it back," he stood back up, waiting for Chase to follow.

Chase scowled and imitated his elder brother's actions. He placed his feet on the floor next to the couch and pressed his body weight onto them. He lifted himself and turned to stare down the brown-haired boy towering over him. "Excuse me?" he turned his head in mock surprise. "I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you repeat that, please?" Chase mocked.

"I said, 'No, I won't give it back to you'." Adam puffed out his chest. "You don't deserve it."

"I'm sorry," Chase laughed, "Did you just say I don't deserve it?"

"Yes, Chase. Jeez, and I thought _I _was the dumb one!"

Chase's vision was tinged with red. "This coming from the guy who thinks feathered, living chickens and cooked chickens are different animals."

"Well, at least I'm not being a major jerk to my father who just came home from the hospital with major injuries that _you _gave him!"

Chase chuckled, "He had it coming. Next time, he'll think twice before looking at me the wrong way again."

Now Bree joined in to fracas. "HAD IT COMING?!" She stormed over to where he biological brothers stood poised in fighting positions. "Chase, how could you say something like that? He just wanted to see if you were alright! We were all worried about you." Her voice trailed off and she wrung her hands.

"Worried about me? Yean, right! I think we all know that's not true." Chase growled again. A scowl cut deep in to his forehead. "When have any of you ever cared about me?"

"Chase, what are you talking about? Of course we care about you! Do you remember when you were locked in your capsule and it was on self-clean mode?" Adam inserted. "I broke through bulletproof glass to get to you! I thought you were going to die in there, Chasey. I wasn't going to let that happen…" Tears began to form in Adams eyes. "Not when you mean so much to me… Not when I love you so much…"

"Yeah I well if you 'love me so much', then why don't you start acting like it!" Chase retorted. He turned away and got in the elevator to the lab underground. Before the doors slid shut, the boy called out, "I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

The next morning was a Saturday. There was nothing to do but train for upcoming missions. Chase woke up early so he could begin before the others were even waking. He pulled on his training pants and a black, sleeveless t-shirt. After tugging his high-tops on, he stood to pull out a training dummy and pulled out strips of fabric to wrap his hands so he would not destroy his knuckles. He sat on a chair he pulled from the relaxation area of the lab and rested his elbows on his knees. Spreading his fingers on his right hand, he began wrapping his knuckles. He pulled the white strip taught and wound it around and around until he reached the end and tucked it into the layers of fabric. He moved onto the next hand and pondered what had happened the night before, a smile creeping onto his face.

He showed them! They were fools, thinking they could trick him into believing their lies! Of course they cared nothing for him. Their actions showed exactly how they felt about him. Their words could not change anything. They could not fool him, especially when he was the smartest human being on earth. He could see behind their tricks and ploys. He was not the naïve fool he used to be.

Removing the commando app had been the best choice he had made in years. He was free now. Free to live his life the way he wanted. He didn't need to hide it anymore. He could live his life without the fear that the app would engage and he would hurt someone. He would never have to explain and rationalize away his actions again. He was _free_!

Chase finished wrapping his hands and stood. He spread his legs – left in front, right in back – to his fighting position and tightened his hands to fists. He brought his fists to his face and prepared himself to begin his training for the day. With a sharp inhale of air, Chase swung his fist into the dummy. He jabbed right and left and right again. Some hits were to the dummies head; some to the sides or abdomen. Eventually, Chase began swinging his legs up to strike the dummy as well.

Each strike with the fist or foot became harder and faster every time they were used. Rather than tiring, Chase seemed to be building up strength and anger with each blow. It was a strange sensation for Chase. Before, he would have stopped to investigate and scan his chip. However, Chase was not the same; he was new and improved. So, he continued to fight and train, embracing his new lifestyle and the new functions of his bionic chip.

Moments turned into minutes which eventually turned into hours. He had been training since five o'clock that morning. Glancing back to check the time, he realized he had been training for nearly three hours. He grinned and chuckled to himself. He had never felt stronger – more empowered. He turned back to the dummy and continued his training.

After a few mores strikes, Adam and Bree awoke. They stretched and exited their capsules. Yawning, they made their way over to the leather chairs on the side of the room. When they passed their younger brother they mumbled, "Morning," and slumped down into the seats.

Chase rolled his eyes and continued his solo training session. "Yeah, whatever," he replied.

The elevator doors slid open revealing Mr. Davenport. He walked in wearing his usual black v-neck and leather jacket, black jeans and black high tops. He walked past Chase towards one of the cyber desks and began tapping along its surface.

Chase, still hitting the dummy, called out to him, "Hey, Mr. Davenport. What's with all the black? Are you going to some kind of emo get-together?" He laughed at his joke and returned his focus to the dummy in front of him.

"No, Chase. This is what I normally wear. You know that," Mr. Davenport's eyes remained on the cyber desk under his fingertips, reading numbers, statistics and other important information. "And besides, I don't think you should be laughing when you almost _killed_ Douglas last night."

"Hey, he had it coming! He needed to be taught a lesson!" Chase retorted in self-defense.

"Chase, that is not an excuse! He was hospitalized because you couldn't control yourself! We almost lost him last night!"

"Oh, shut up. I don't care," Chase replied rolling his eyes again.

Mr. Davenport froze in place. He turned around and stared at the boy. "Excuse me? Would you like to say that again?" he folded his arms across his chest.

Fury rose in Chase's chest. It had been building since he began his training and it was finally coming loose. "I said 'SHUT UP'!" Chase struck the dummy with the bottom of his foot with all his pent up anger and strength. The dummy flipped over and went sailing across the room. When it struck the wall, the head broke off the top and revealed a dent in the wall behind it.

Chase turned around his fists clenched and his eyes blazing with rage. His chest rose and suck with the deep breaths he was taking.

"Alright, that is IT!" Mr. Davenport said. "Chase, until further notice you are off of the team. Until you can learn to control yourself, you are confined to this house. You will leave only to go to school and when it's over, you will return home immediately with no detours. You will not use your chip for anything other than your school work. You will not train and you will not enter this lab until I see fit. Is that _crystal clear_?"

"What did you say to me, dog face?" Chase growled.

"You're grounded until I say so."

Chase laughed, throwing his head back. "You think you can control me? Please, I could snap you in half with my _pinky finger_." Suddenly Chase's tone changed. "No, you listen here, pretty boy. You don't tell me what to do."

Adam interrupted, fear shining in his eyes. "Um, Mr. Davenport? I think there's something wrong with Chase!"

Chase ignored him and continued. "I run this place now. _I _am in charge now. You got that, short stack?"

Mr. Davenport gulped and backed up as Chase slowly made his way towards him. "There is something wrong with him, Adam."

"Shut up!" Chase yelled, continuing to stalk closer to Mr. Davenport. "There's nothing wrong with me! I'm fine! I've never felt better in my life!"

"There is something wrong with you, Chase. When you still had the commando app, all your rage and anger was fueled into it, but now that it's gone," Donald paused, sighing, "Your aggression had nowhere to go. Spike had nowhere to go. And now he's controlling you! All your anger, rage, frustrations, they're all coming out now because they can't go anywhere else."

Chase growled and shook his head. "That's a lie! I've never felt more in control of myself! You – all of you – are just afraid of me. You can't accept that I'm better now – better than you. Removing the commando app opened my eyes to a whole new world where I am in charge. I can do whatever I want, live however I want. I am in control now!"

Chase continued stepping towards Donald. With each step, the man's eyes grew wider. Eventually, he backed up into the desk. He turned his head down to the control panel on the desk and frantically tapped across the surface.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked. "Your stupid desk can't help you! I'm unstoppable!"

"Not by myself, I can't." Donald began, glancing back up to look at the progressing boy. "But I'm not alone. Bree, go get Leo and hurry. Adam, care to join me?" He turned to look at the taller boy and watched Bree speed out of the room, only to return within seconds.

The four stood together in front of Chase, ready in fighting stances. Donald reopened his mouth, "Chase, we're doing this for your own good. This is not you; it's _destroying_ you," He turned to the bionic teenagers, "We're going to remove his chip. Let's get him into his capsule."

He turned and they rushed at Chase.


	6. Chapter 6

Lab Rats

Chapter 6

Chase crouched into fighting position and smirked. _Perfect._ _A real fight with even odds… Well, almost even. Three against me is still a little too easy._ He brought up his clenched fist to block attacks toward his face and waited for his enemies to approach. Anticipation for the beating he would give them boiled up and growled in his chest.

Adam reached his brother first. He immediately swung out with his right fist, hoping for a hit on his brother's torso. No such luck. Chase brought his left arm down and smacked it away.

Before Adam could try for another hit, Bree ran up and swung her leg up at Chase's head. Right before her shoe planted itself in his temple, Chase lifted his hand and grabbed her ankle. Bree froze as Chase's face broke into a sadistic grin. She shifted on her foot, uneasy and nervous for what her brother would do next.

Adam was ready for his next attack on his brother. He righted himself and prepped for another swing at his brother. His left hand fisted and swung behind his back. He brought it forward, building momentum with an upward swing directed right at Chase's rib cage.

But the younger boy was too quick for him. Chase used his pent up frustration, hate, and power and lashed out at his brother before he could land a hit on him. He swung his own punch and nailed his brother in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the tile floor. He turned his attention back to his sister who was still trying to decide what she should do to get away –_ if_ she could get away. He stared into her eyes and bent his free arm. Almost as quickly as Bree herself, he crashed his elbow down onto her knee.

Bree cried out and crashed to the ground next to her brother who was struggling to get back up. She clutched her knee with both hands, tears slipping out of her eyes and falling from her cheeks.

Chase laughed at his sister's pathetic cries and readied his stance for when his brother drew up enough strength to get back up.

"I thought you two were supposed to be heroes, not pansies." He laughed. He turned his head to glance at his stunned adoptive father. "What happened, Donnie? Why didn't to train them to be ready for me?"

Donald stuttered, "I – I didn't think you – I didn't know – I never thought –"

Chase interrupted, "What, you didn't think I would get over my submissive phase? You didn't know that I was aware of your resentment towards me. What _did_ you think? That I would let you push me around all my life? That I would stay stuck as an unwanted, unloved, push over?"

"No, Chase. We never resented you. We're your family. We love you! How could you think any differently?"

"_How could I think any differently_? Oh, I'm sorry for thinking you all hated me. I obviously had no reason to. I shouldn't have taken all the mocking, bullying, abuse, and teasing so hard!" With each word, Chase's voice grew louder, filling with anger. "I'm sorry this is all _my _fault. I should have been able to see past all the bruises I received from my brother. I should have believed that Bree actually loved me when she avoided me every day – every_where_. I'm sorry for throwing everything _way _out of proportion!"

Adam stood again. "Chase, I'm sorry for the way I have treated you. Let's stop this and fix it before somebody else gets hurt!"

Chase relaxed out of his fighting stance. "_Fix this?!_ Oh, it's too late for that, muscle man! We are _way _beyond fixing this. If you think I can let this all go, you've got another thing coming." He resumed his previous position and continued, "No, I don't want to fix anything. I want you all to feel what I felt. _All _of it! And after I'm satisfied, maybe I'll even kill you. Just for laughs."

Adam's voice sounded again, "Okay then. I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way."

Adam crouched and prepared to drive his shoulder into Chase's torso, hoping to knock the air out of him and immobilize him. He began his assault and ran towards his brother and tucked his head and shoulders down. An aggressive call sounded from his lips. He rushed, driving his shoulders into his brother's stomach.

Chase called out, surprised that his brother had actually hit him. He backed up and clutched his stomach, wincing and grimacing in pain.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Chase!" Adam spoke, standing and reaching for his brother to see if he could help him. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Chase's eyes darkened as he looked up at his brother. "_Shut up_. Stop pretending like you care."

Leo, who had not yet move nor said anything finally chimed in. "Okay, Mr. Grumpy-pants. I am sick of your bad attitude! We just want to help you. Why can't you see that?"

Chase stood up straight with a sarcastic look of confusion spread across his face. "I don't know Leo. Why _can't_ I see it? Oh, I know! It's because it's not there! I am not a fool! You are just trying to get to me to put me back in my place. You just want to use me for my intelligence and put back on the shelf when you don't need me anymore. Well, I'm not going to let you do that to me anymore! You don't own me! I have worth! My value is higher than any of yours! I am more powerful than any of you could ever imagine! Let's see you try to put me down now!"

Leo backed up, frightened from his Chase's aggression. While the fight continued between Adam, Chase, and the injured speedster, Leo made his way over to Mr. Davenport. "Big D, what are we going to do? We can't stop him! Spike has totally taken him over."

"I don't know, Leo. I just don't know." Donald trailed off and went silent for a moment. "I don't know what else to try. We tried fighting him off, but he knows all of our strategies – heck, he invented most of them. He won't listen when we try to talk sense into him. He won't listen to us at all. It's like family doesn't even matter anymore. I just don't know…"

"Wait. Maybe that's the answer! He won't listen to his family because he thinks we are his enemies. He thinks we're trying to deceive him. Maybe we need to find someone who is not his family that he will listen to!" Leo eyes sparkled with the idea – with hope. Maybe they could rescue Chase before he did something he would regret.

Donald's head snapped up. "Leo… That's genius! That just might work! But who will we go to? Perry? Douglas?"

"No, it needs to be someone he trusts. You saw what he did to Douglas yesterday and he hates Perry. I mean, who wouldn't?"

The two remained silent for a time, deep in thought. Who could they ask? Who would Chase trust? Who's live would be put on the line to save someone?

Leo suddenly gasped. "Big D, I've got it! I can't believe that I didn't think of them before!"

Donald turned to him and grasped his arm. "Who, Leo?"

"Isn't it obvious? The person who can stop him is Sabrina!" Leo smiled. Who else could it have been?

"Sabrina? Are you sure?" Donald looked skeptical. "I thought she ditched him after Spike reared his head."

"Well, she did – I think… But I know she can help him! Please, Mr. Davenport. We have to try!" Leo pleaded.

"Alright, Leo. But we need a plan. How are we going to get Sabrina here without Chase trying to kill us first?"

"Easy. I'll take Bree's place in the fight. You two will speed to Sabrina's house and convince her to come and talk some sense into that psycho over there. She'll calm him down and convince him we mean him no harm and we'll knock him out with a sedative. While he's asleep, we reinstall the Commando App onto his chip and he's fixed. We'll be done in a few hours. Back to normal, boring old Chase." Leo smiled at his brilliant plan.

"Don't say that about Chase. That kind of talk is what got us into this mess in the first place. If we want to fix him and get him back to normal, we all need to learn to respect him and speak kindly," Donald chastised.

"Right, sorry. I'll work on that." Leo glanced down at his shoes, feeling guilty. He looked back up and asked, "So, what do you think? Good plan?"

"It's the only one we've got. I'm afraid we don't have much more time before Chase becomes a murderous, rampaging monster. Go get Bree. I'll find Sabrina's house using my satellites." Donald turned to the cyber desk behind him and got to work.

Chase's focus was stuck on his brother and sister attacking him. He paid no attention to Leo and Mr. Davenport. _Cowards._ Even when his sister's actions were replaced by his half-bionic brother he paid no mind. _I guess the injury I gave Bree proved to be too much for her. What a wimp. And to think I used to value her abilities._

Chase ignored his sister's absence and smiled cruelly at Leo's presence. "Welcome to the party, Leo. So glad to have you join us. I can't wait to break you like I broke Bree. It's going to be so much fun! Well, for me anyway. Not so much for you."

Leo straightened his back, hoping to show Chase that he wasn't as afraid as he felt. "Chase I know you're angry, but this isn't you. This is Spike. He's controlling you somehow. Since you removed the commando app, all the power and anger that fueled Spike is being fueled into you. You are not yourself. We can help you, Chase. Please, just let us try." Leo slowly brought his hands up and uncurled his fists in a gesture of peace.

Chase's smile wavered. "You think there's something wrong with me? I've never felt better in my life! You're not fooling me. I won't let you put me away. Just you try. I'll snap you in half." He stepped forward and swung his fist at Leo's head.

Leo's eyes widened, realizing his efforts had failed, and he ducked his head.

Chase growled and swung again, this time striking Leo's ribs from the left. The boy cried out and stumbled to the side, clutching his injured side.

Adam snuck up behind his brother and grabbed him around his middle, pinning his arms down. He tried speaking to his brother. "Chase, Leo's right. We just want to help you. Make you normal Chase again."

"You don't get it! I don't want to be normal Chase! Not anymore. That Chase is dead and gone. Finished. This is the new me. If you don't like it… then deal with it. I don't care. I hate you anyway." Chase, realizing he wouldn't get free by struggling, lifted his legs in front and swung them down hard onto Adam's knees.

Adam's grip loosened enough for Chase to break free of his grip. He turned to his older brother who was bent over, with his hands on his knees, trying to ease the pain he felt. Chase grinned and kicked his brother in the chest. Adam fell to the tile floor. He swiftly righted himself again and took his fighting stance. "Chase, we never wanted this for you. We never meant to hurt you… I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry. So, so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Yeah, you're right. It is all your fault. But that doesn't mean that you're the only one at fault. It just means your punishment will be far worse than everyone else's." Chase scowled at his brother and continued his assault. "You better hope you're ready for it. Because I know I am."


	7. Chapter 7

Lab Rats

Chapter 7

Leo reached up and knocked loudly on the door. "Come on, Sabrina! Please be here!" Leo whispered. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, impatiently. He looked around the porch, hoping for a sign that Sabrina was at home.

"Just relax, Leo," Mr. Davenport said. "I'm sure she's here. She'll help us… probably."

"That's what I'm worried about. What if she won't? What is she is so repulsed by Chase – or Spike, really – that she refuses? What do we do then? He won't listen to any of us!" Leo panicked. He brushed he hands across his head and began pacing around the porch. "Uggghhhh…" Leo trailed off, dragging his hands down his face."

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll figure something out." The inventor placed his hand firmly on Leo's shoulder.

Suddenly, the door swung open. A man stood at the door. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Leo stepped forward. "Hi, um, I'm Leo. Is Sabrina here?" he leaned around the man, who assumed was the girl's father, trying to catch a glimpse of the blonde girl.

The man squinted, "Yeah, she's here. I'll call her." He turned and called into the house, "Sabrina, there's a boy and…. Someone else to see you."

A girl's voice echoed from somewhere in the building. "Alright, dad. Tell them I'm on my way down."

"She's coming down. You can come in and wait if you like." He swung the door further open and moved to the side, gesturing for them to come in and make themselves comfortable in the living room just behind him.

Leo and Donald stepped inside and made their way to the sofas. Sitting down they watched Sabrina's father go to wait for his daughter at the bottom of the stairs. Sabrina soon appeared at the top and descended down the steps. Her father watched her come down. When she reached the bottom, he whispered, "Is this the boy you told me about? The one who went berserk and destroyed your science project?"

"No, dad. This is his step-brother, Leo. He had nothing to do with it." Sabrina calmed her father who was beginning to get a bit protective over her.

"Good," her father spoke again, settling down. "That boy better not show his face around here, or I'll grind him into bits."

"_Dad._ I promise, he won't come here." She took the last step down and walked into the living room. "Leo, Mr. davenport. What can I do for you?" She folded her arms, showing that she was not very pleased that they were here.

"Sabrina, thank goodness!" Leo jumped up. "We need your help!"

"With what? And why do you need _my _help?" She shifted her stance.

"Umm… maybe we could talk in private?" Mr. Davenport spoke up, glancing behind them at Sabrina's cautious and displeased father. "It's kinda sensitive and really important."

Sabrina looked behind her and saw her father glaring at Leo and his step-father. She sighed, "Dad, can you give us a minute?"

Bree sped behind Leo's desk panting. _I'm not sure how much longer I can do this. Especially with my injured knee. _

"Adam! How are you holding up?" Bree called from her hiding place.

There was a loud crack, and Adam cried out. Chase laughed. "Does that answer your question, Bree?"

Bree winced at the sound and took a deep breath. She stood and rushed back over to where Chase and Adam were fighting. She spun behind Chase, to begin her attack. "Adam, are you okay?"

Adam did not look up, but continued throwing and dodging punches from Chase. He answered, "I'm fine. I think he just broke my nose."

"Too bad," Chase replied. "I was hoping to break your _skull_!"

Bree spoke again. "Chase, please stop this. We don't want to hurt you!"

"Yeah? Well, I want to hurt _you two!_ I've been waiting for this for years!" Chase called back to her, not fazed by her weak attempts to overpower him.

Chase elbowed his sister in the stomach. She cried out, and stepped back to the wall. Groaning, she slid down the wall and clutched her stomach, hoping to ease the pain.

Adam focused his gaze on his injured sister. His eyes widened to see her clutching at her middle, tears beginning to stream down her face. "HEY!" He yelled, turning back to face Chase. "You leave her alone!" Adam drew back his arm and swung with all his might.

_CRACK!_

Chase's head was flung back and to the left with the force of his brother's swing. The force was too much for him and he fell back, crashing to the ground.

Adam paused. He glanced down at his fist, a small smile appearing on his face. He had finally landed a punch and left some damage.

Soon, however, Chase's eyes opened again and he struggled to lean back up on his elbows. He leaned heavily on one and brought his other hand up to wipe at his face. He pulled his hand away and found the smallest trickle of blood across his knuckles. He turned his head to stare up at his older brother. "Well, Adam," Chase spoke, faintly grinning. "It seems that you have finally worked your way up to my level." He stood. "It's almost a fair fight." His grin was prominent now. Whispering, Chase tilted his head to the side, "_Almost_."

"Come on, Sabrina please!" Leo pleaded. "We need your help!"

"No, Leo. I don't want to help him. He's… I don't even know! But I won't help him. He's a lying arrogant, jerk with no consideration for the feelings of others!" Sabrina contorted.

"Sabrina, that's not true and you know it!" Mr. Davenport sounded. "Chase is the most sensitive person I know and he needs your help!"

"If you're so smart, why can't you figure out how to help him without me?" Sabrina scoffed.

"Sabrina, please. We just need you to talk to him and calm him down. He'll listen to you. After we're done, you never have to speak to any of us again." Leo pleaded.

"No way, Leo." Sabrina replied. "That's my final answer."

"Sabrina, you're the only one who can help him. He knows you won't hurt him. He trusts you and he won't hurt you. Please, Sabrina. You're the only who can get him back to normal!" Leo tried convincing her again.

Sabrina was silent. Leo and Donald waited, patiently, hoping she would change her mind and help them – help Chase.

Sabrina turned, sighing. "Fine."

Leo's face split into a grin and Donald spoke, "Thank you, Sabrina. You won't regret this."

"I better not. And don't expect to hear from me ever again." She turned and grabbed her phone from the table by the staircase. "Dad? I'm going out. I'll be home in a few hours. Love you!"

"Be safe, sweetheart!" Sabrina's father called out.

"I will!" Sabrina made her way to the door where Leo and Donald waited for her. "Okay, so remind me of the plan?"

Sabrina, Leo, and Mr. Davenport rushed into the lab only to encounter a bloody Adam, Chase, and a teary-eyed Bree.

Sabrina gasped, "What… What happened?"

"Spike-Chase happened. You have to stop him." Mr. Davenport put his hand on Sabrina's shoulder, encouraging her to be brave.

"Okay, I'll do my best," Sabrina stepped forward to where Chase could see her. "Chase!"

Chase suddenly stopped, a look of confusion on his face. Noticing Sabrina, he took on last swing at Adam and knocked him down, temporarily immobilizing him. "Sabrina? Wha – What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk some sense into you. You have to stop this. Stop hurting your family. They love you whether you love them back or not." Sabrina shifted nervously.

"If you knew anything about them, you would know that's not true. Not in the slightest." Chase scowled.

"No, Chase. Listen. Sometimes families have problems. They don't express their love for one another in recognizable ways, and sometimes not at all. But that doesn't mean that they don't love one another."

"Families who love each other don't mock each other. They don't throw each other across the room and use them as human punching bags. They don't call them names and tease them about their height, or their hair, or their intelligence. That's not what families who love each other do." Chase ground his teeth harder with each grievance he had. "Families don't ruin each other's chances with the only girl that has ever shown interest in them just because of jealousy! Families don't draw out the side of each other that they are most embarrassed and afraid of!"

"Chase, families make mistakes. They learn to grow together and how to express their love in the best way – in the way other's will understand." Sabrina took a step back, trying to distance herself from him. Afraid he would hurt her, she spoke softer. "You just have to give them a chance."

"NO!" Chase screamed. "They had their chances! Time and time again, I ignored the times they hurt me. I ignored the bruises Adam left on my ribs, my arms and legs. I looked past all the times Bree pretended she didn't know me in the school hallway. I forgave all the times Leo used me for my smarts to get a better grade. I tried to forget that I never fit in on the team and that Mr. Davenport never quite figured out how I could add to it.

"I'm done giving people second chances. My entire life has been giving people another chance! Over and over and over again! It's over." Chase stalked towards her and grabbed her arms. "They're going to pay for all the things they did to me! Every single one of them!"

Sabrina flinched at the contact Chase made. "Chase, you're hurting me."

Chase looked down at where his hands were digging into her bare arms. He eyes widened when he noticed how tight he was gripping her. He quickly released his grip and backed off. "I – I'm sorry, Sabrina. I didn't mean to."

The entire room was silent for a moment. No one spoke or moved.

Then Chase spoke again. "Help me, Sabrina. Help me destroy them. For everything they have done. It'll be just you and me."

While Chase tried to convince Sabrina to join his cause, Leo snuck around to where Adam was lying on the floor. He shook the boy to rouse him from his delirium.

"Adam, our original plan to talk and calm Chase didn't work, but I have another plan. You have to listen." He spoke.

"What is it Leo?" Adam groaned.

"It has to do with Sabrina. I need you to choke her to death."

Chase walked up to Sabrina again. He softly placed his hands on her arms, trying to soothe the place he had grabbed her earlier.

"Please, Sabrina. I could really use your help."

"Chase, I don't know. I don't want to hurt anyone. And I know you don't either. Not really." Sabrina avoided looking directly into his eyes.

"Sabrina, you don't get it! They've abused me and my abilities all my life. We'd only be giving them what they deserve!" Chase pressured.

"Chase, no. Hurting them won't make you feel any better. It will only make things worse. Revenge is not the answer! Forgiveness is. Have you never heard 'Forgive and forget'?" Sabrina tried to back away.

Chase scoffed. "Please, proverbs? What do you think I am, seven years old? Everyone knows that forgiveness solves nothing. Payback is the only way to stop people from hurting you."

"Chase, you're not listening to reason! Pleas just try to underst-" Sabrina was cut off by a hand that reached around and grabbed her.

Adam had snuck up behind her waiting to grab her. She screeched through his hand and her eyes widened dramatically. "Alright, Chase. Listen up. You stop this and give up now, or I'll snap her neck like a toothpick."


	8. Chapter 8

Lab Rats

Chapter 8

Chase backed up, raising his hands in front of him defensively. "Adam, put her down _now_," he said forcefully. He glared at his brother, trying to scare him into leaving the girl alone.

"No, I swear I'll kill her right now if you don't stop this," Adam shot back. "But, if you stand down and give this up, I'll let her go. Let us _fix you_ and she'll live."

Chase's eyes squeezed into a death stare. "Never," he declared. "There's nothing wrong with me – nothing to fix. You won't touch my chip, but you will let her go before I tear your head off of your shoulders!"

Sabrina opened her mouth, "Please, Chase. I'm scared. Just let them help you!" She went silent for a moment. "I don't want to die… Please help me, Chase."

Chase faltered and focused back on Sabrina. "Sabrina, I can't. They'll hurt me again. I can't let them get to me. I'll save you without giving in! I can do it." He shifted back into his fighting stance, readying to pummel his brother into the ground for touching Sabrina.

Adam, however, tightened his grip Sabrina. "Chase, I'm warning you. I'll do it. You know that. All you're doing is nudging me on."

"Chase, please! I can barely breathe! Just let them help you!" Sabrina cried out, fear pouring from her voice and through her tears. She struggled in Adam's grip and tried to free herself.

Chase's glare lessened. A look of fear and worry slipped into his eyes. He looked between Adam and Sabrina, confused as to what he should do.

"Chase, it's time to decide. Let us help you get back to normal, or Sabrina gets it," Adam growled impatiently.

Sabrina croaked, losing air, "Chase, please."

Chase backed up and combed his fingers through his hair. He squeezed his eyed closed hoping to get some clarity of thought. _I – I don't know what to do. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to do… If I save Sabrina, they'll mess with my chip and make me weak again. I'll lose all the strength I just gained. But, if I don't surrender Adam will kill her. I can't lose her. But, I don't want to go back to how I was. Weak, helpless, pushover Chase. They'll tease me and throw me around. They'll abuse my intelligence and use me… But… Sabrina…_

"Chase," Adam interrupted. "What's it going to be? Sabrina or the chip?"

Chase looked up and glared at his brother. "Put her down and you can have it." His hands fell to his sides. He relaxed his stance and stood still.

Bree stood and speeded to her brother, knocking him down onto the ground. Chase grunted as he hit the ground. He hands were pinned to his back by something that felt like handcuffs. _They're probably blocking the signal from my chip. _ He turned his head to make sure Sabrina was unharmed.

"Adam, you can put her down now, but don't let her go," Leo spoke. He came out from his hiding place behind one of the capsules. "Big D, where's the chip extractor?"

"It's under repair right now," Donald said.

"What?!" Leo yelled. "Well how are we supposed to get his chip out?"

"We'll have to get him in his capsule and take it out that way. It'll be harder, but it's the only thing we've got right now."

Leo groaned. "Fine. Bree, get him in there and _keep him restrained_. We can't risk him getting loose."

Chase grunted again as he was lifted by his sister and shoved forward. As he took his first steps, he turned again and looked worriedly at the blonde girl in the room. "Sabrina, are you alright?"

The girl said nothing. She had her hand at her neck where Adam had held her. She looked up, fear still in her eyes and nodded.

Chase's worry was not lessened by her confirmation. He noticed Adam's firm grip on her shoulder and his eyes narrowed into the glare again. Chase was suddenly shoved forward into his capsule. Bree turned him around and shoved his neck against the back wall of the tube. Soon, Chase knew, his chip would be removed and "repaired" and he would go back to how he was before.

Bree stepped out of the capsule and closed the door behind her. A click sounded as Donald pressed a key on the cyber desk that locked the door. Chase would not be able to escape. Only Adam had ever broken through that glass. There was no way Chase would be able to.

Chase growled in the capsule. He stepped forward and pounded on the glass. "I'll never forgive any of you for this! Never! I hate you more now than I ever have!" Again and again his fists slammed against the glass. He raged and laid down a hit on the barrier like none other. The glass cracked under his strike and he stopped his pounding. Instead, he screamed and yelled at his family.

Everyone took a step back. Sabrina's tears flowed freely down her face. Bree and Adam stood ready for Chase to break out and resume their fight. Leo flinched and Donald slammed his hand down onto the keyboard of the desk.

Gas filled the capsule around Chase. He looked up and saw it, realizing his family was trying to sedate him. His screams got louder and he resumed pounding on the glass. With each pound he drew a breath. Every breath made him more and more drowsy. His attempts to free himself weakened and soon his hands pressed weakly against the glass trying to stay upright and awake. His efforts failed as he fell forward and slid down to the ground, his vision going black.

When Chase finally fell unconscious, Adam released Sabrina and spoke, "Sabrina, I'm sorry I had to do that to you. He wouldn't listen to reason, so we had to force him to choose between you and… whatever it is that he was."

Sabrina took a deep breath. "You could at least warned me!" She reached up with her other hand to massage her shoulder, tender from when Adam had held her away from Chase. She paused for a moment and turned to look at Mr. Davenport. "Is he going to be okay? He'll go back to normal, right?"

Donald spoke. "As soon as I get his chip out of him and the settings all returned to how they were before this whole fiasco, Chase should be just fine. We'll have good, old, know-it-all, sensitive Chase back."

"Good," Sabrina smiled faintly.

Donald tapped across the surface of the cyber desk, unlocked the capsule, and walked over to open the door of the capsule. He pulled the limp boy out and dragged him to the couch on the far side of the room. He lifted him and laid him on the surface.

"Leo, the chip extractor is in compartment 7. Could you go get it?" Donald turned to ask his step-son.

"But you said it was under repairs," Leo said confused.

"I lied. I thought it would be better to extract Chase's chip if he was unconscious. That way he couldn't fight against us. I'm not just a pretty face. I do have a brain, you know."

Leo rolled his eyes and turned to go get the chip extractor. He disappeared under the floor.

Sabrina walked up to Donald, wringing her hands. "Mr. Davenport? I know I said that as soon as I talked to Chase, I didn't want anything to do with you anymore, but is it alright if I stay to make sure Chase is okay?"

The tech mogul turned to the girl and smiled. "Absolutely, Sabrina. You can stay as long as you like. Chase – I'm sure – would really appreciate it."

"Thanks, Mr. Davenport," Sabrina knelt down next to where Chase lay. She glanced around the room and her eyes landed on Chase's form. Tentatively, she reached out and rested her hand on his knee. She let out a puff of air and asked, "How can I help?"

Chase's eyes fluttered. He groaned and turned his head slowly from side to side, trying to wake himself up.

"Mr. Davenport, he's waking back up! What should I do?" a girl's voice quietly spoke.

"Here. Put this mask over his face. It's hooked up to a canister filled with gas that will keep him knocked out until we take it off," someone else said.

Who was it? Chase couldn't determine who was there. The voices were unfamiliar and faded in and out. He could hardly understand them. He tried to fully open his eyes. His lids felt like they were lined with lead or kryptonite. He was too tired.

Something was on his face. He was breathing something other than air. Or maybe mixed with air? He couldn't tell and – if he was being honest – he didn't care. It made him feel good. Good and sleepy.

"Is it working? Is he going back to sleep?" the second voice sounded one more time.

"I think so. He's moving less and less every seco…"

Chase drifted back into blissful oblivion.

"Mr. Davenport, he's been out for six hours," Sabrina said. "Shouldn't he have woken up by now?"

Donald scratched his head. "Yes, he should have woken up hours ago. Especially when Adam, Bree and Leo left after the mission alert. That alarm can wake the dead. I don't know what's going on." The man stood up, leaving Chase's side where he had been for the last few hours. He made his way to the cyber desk and tapped along the screen. "Let me look at his vitals."

Sabrina stood and followed the man to the desk, trying to decipher what the flashing lights and numbers meant. She noticed the glowing lines that showed his brain activity and heartbeat. She noticed a number to the top right of the screen that was steadily rising. It read 101 and soon rose to 102 in seconds. She pointed to the number and asked, "What does that number mean?"

Donald turned and looked at where she was pointing. "That's his body temperature. It looks like he has a fever, but I've never seen a fever come on that quickly let alone rise at that speed!" He stepped around the desk and rushed back over to Chase. He knelt down and put his hand on the boy's forehead. The boy was burning up and sweat beaded across his brow. "What's his temperature now?"

"It's holding steady at 105. Is that bad?" Sabrina's voice shook.

"If it's holding steady there, he's in critical condition. If he stays like this, we'll have to take him to the hospital. However, if it goes down soon, he should be fine." Donald stood and walked back over to the desk, sending Sabrina to get some wet washcloths to cool Chase down. "I'll try to figure out what is causing the fever. Hurry! We need to cool him down!"

Donald's fingers sped across the buttons on the desk, going through all of Chase's vitals. He had no viral infections or bacterial ones. None of his organs were shutting down. He kept searching, desperate to find the cause.

Sabrina returned with several rags and a large bucket of cold water. "I have the rags and water. Have you found the cause yet?"

"Nothing! He's totally normal! There's nothing wrong with him!" Donald cried out.

Sabrina soaked a rag and put it on Chase's forehead. "Okay, well, let's stay calm. Is there anything we can do for him?"

"We're already doing it," Donald replied. He sighed dragging his hand down his face. "The only thing we can do is try to keep him cool."

An hour passed with no signs that Chase would wake up. Donald glanced at his watch. "Sabrina, it's getting late. You should probably head home. My family and I will watch over Chase."

Sabrina stood, "No way. I'm not leaving until I know he's okay! I know I said I didn't care about him at all earlier, but…"

Mr. Davenport put his hand on her shoulder. "I know. Don't worry. We'll take good care of him. You'll be the first to know if there are any changes." He walked back to the desk to check on his son's vitals again.

Sabrina looked down and Chase, worried for his health. "Okay. The others will get back from their mission any moment. They'll take good care of him." She brushed his drooping hair away from his face. She bit her lip, not sure if she should do what she wanted to do. She hesitatingly pulled her hand away from his face and turned around to leave, deciding against it. She walked toward the elevator but only made it a few steps before she huffed and turned back around. A confident look grew on her face and she marched back to Chase's side.

Donald glanced up at his son to see Sabrina placing a delicate kiss on his brow. The inventor's face split open with a grin. He tore his stare away to give Sabrina some privacy and looked back down at the desk, his smile forced from his face.

Sabrina turned away and left.

Donald allowed the grin to creep back on his face. Looking back at the boy on the couch, he watched as Chase shifted and a faint smile appeared on his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Lab Rats

Chapter 9

Sabrina's eyes fluttered open when she felt the vibration. Mr. Davenport had sent her a text, probably about Chase. She unlocked her phone and opened her messages. There was a new message from Chase.

_Chase is awake! _Sabrina nearly jumped from excitement. She opened the message and began to read.

_Hey, Sabrina. This is Bree. I didn't have your number so I just used Chase's phone. Sorry if I got your hopes up. He's not awake yet. But, his temperature started going down as soon as we got home last night, about half an hour after you went home. It stabilized at normal level a few minutes ago. Davenport told me to let you know._

At the end of the message, Bree had left her number telling Sabrina to text her if she needed anything. Sabrina's heart sank a little, disappointed that Chase wasn't the one to text her. However, she was very happy to hear that his temperature had gone back down. She relaxed back down into her bed. It was a Sunday morning which meant she would only see him if he went to school on Monday or if she went over to see him. But, her dad had freaked out when she came home so late last night. There was no way he would let her go back over so soon. She would have to wait.

* * *

Monday morning came and she had heard no news from the Davenports. A little concerned, the girl pulled her phone from her back pocket after her morning routine and called Bree. The phone rang as she stepped out the front door to walk to the bus stop. She pushed past the bushes and stepped out onto the curbside where the bus would pick her up. The phone continued ringing. Eventually Bree's voicemail message echoed across the speaker.

Sabrina hung up and tried calling again. It wasn't like Bree to not answer her phone. Worry shook her breath. She lifted the phone to her ear again. It rung twice before the phone was finally answered.

"Bree! Finally! How's Chase? Is he okay? Please tell me he's alright!" Sabrina spoke quickly, urgency bleeding into her tone.

Leo's voice answered her. "Hey, Sabrina. It's Leo. Bree is asleep right now. We were up all night taking turns watching Chase."

"So, he's still sleeping then?" Sabrina replied, still very concerned for him.

"Yes," Leo yawned. "He has woken up yet. Big D thinks he should wake up soon though. He's starting to move a bit."

Sabrina let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, relieved that Chase was alright. "Thank goodness. Call me as soon as he's awake, alright? I'll come over as soon as I can," she paused. "You know what? If he's not awake by the time school's over today, I'll just come over then."

"Okay. We'll have Bree keep you updated."

"Thanks, Leo. I'll see you later." Sabrina hung up and returned her phone to her back pocket. Soon after, Sabrina had boarded the school bus and was on her way to school.

* * *

The final bell rang and Sabrina nearly broke into a sprint out the front door. She sent a quick text message to her dad, informing him she was going to a friend's house – which wasn't really a lie, just not the whole truth. She ran to the school bus that would bring her to the Davenport's house and boarded. She found a seat and put her bag next to her, anxious to see Chase.

The door swung open and Tasha greeted the girl on the porch. "Hey, Sabrina. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Mrs. Davenport. Can I see Chase?" She leaned around Tasha to see further into the house, hoping to get just a glimpse of him.

Tasha smiled and pulled to door open wider. "Absolutely! They're still in the basement. Go right on down, sweetheart."

Sabrina's smile grew as well as she stepped across the threshold and made her way to the elevator. She stepped inside, her stomach lurching as the elevator began its descent. The machine dinged and the doors slid open. She stepped out into the lab and saw Adam, Bree, Leo, and Donald playing Uno on the floor.

"HA! Take that, Bree! Draw four!" Adam laughed and slammed down a black card on the stack. He glanced up as he heard the elevator door opening. "Hey, look! Sabrina's here!" He jumped up, placing his cards on the floor.

The others on the floor turned to see the girl standing there, a bit shocked that no one was watching Chase. "Hey, guys. Any changes?"

Bree stood. "Actually, I was just about to call you about him. He's been a bit restless all day, tossing and turning. His breathing sped up and his heart rate is increasing. We're pretty sure that he'll wake up any minute now."

The blonde grinned and set down her book bag. She walked past the halted card game and went to pull up a chair next to the dormant boy. Sitting down, she looked down into the boy's face. _He looks so peaceful. Like he never turned into Spike-Chase or whatever he was on Saturday._ Sabrina couldn't help but reach out and grab the boy's hand, her grin softening. She brushed her thumb across the ridges of Chase's knuckles. After a few soft strokes, she reached out with her other hand and delicately grabbed his wrist. Turning his hand over, she traced the lines on his hands down to his fingertips. She continued to stroke the creases of his hands.

She reached the end of his fingers and suddenly his fingers twitched, reacting to her touch. She paused and looked up to Chase's face. He left out a puff of air and turned his head, burrowing further into the pillow cradling his neck. His mouth twitched. Sabrina continued to trace his hands, her gaze never leaving his face.

His fingers twitched again and he groaned. His eyelids squeezed tighter as he began to wake from his sleep.

"Guys," Sabrina called out. "He's waking up!"

The four turned around to look at Chase and saw the young man moving. A grin broke across Donald's face and he tugged on his children's arms, pulling them towards his son.

Chase groaned again and brought his free hand to his head, pressing into his forehead. He shifted and rolled halfway over. His eyes fluttered open.

"I just had the weirdest dream. I was fighting with Spike like we were fighting over who would take control of my –" Chase cut off. He lifted his head to look down at the hand in Sabrina's soft grip. A look of confusion spread across his face and he looked up to see Sabrina staring down at him, a smile splitting her face." Sabrina? Wh-what are you doing here?" Chase spluttered. He looked past her to see Donald and his sibling staring back at him, smiling like there was no tomorrow. "Why is everyone staring at me? Do I have something on my face?"

Sabrina nearly squealed at his voice – his normal voice. Not the angry, half-Spike voice that had echoed from him two days ago. She leapt from her seat and dove down on him, wrapping her arms around the bionic brunette. "I'm so glad you're okay. And back to normal!" She spoke into his neck.

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" Chase said. "But, why are you here? I thought…. I thought you hated me. You said I was a monster…" Chase's voice grew quiet.

"I never should have said that, Chase." Sabrina pulled away to look at his face, sincerely apologizing. "If I had never said that, none of this would have happened."

"No, Sabrina," Adam spoke up. "This is all my fault. I never should have called him names and thrown him around like a football. If there's anyone to blame, it's me." Adam shuffled on his feet and looked to the ground in shame.

"There is no single person to blame," Bree corrected.

"Bree's right," Donald spoke next. "We all played a part in this. Each one of us added on and made the situation worse."

Chase looked to each speaker, confused. "What situation? What happened?"

"You tried to remove the commando app from your chip and kinda turned into Spike instead of getting rid of him," Leo finally opened his mouth. "And then you turned into a super huge jerk and attacked Douglas and then you went after us – " Leo stopped suddenly after receiving a death glare from Mr. Davenport.

"I did _what_?" Chase sat up quickly. His breathing became fast and ragged. He swung his legs off of the couch and let his feet fall to the floor. "Is Douglas okay? I didn't hurt him did I?"

Adam piped up this time. "Yeah… about that. You hospitalized him." Adam received the death glare from Donald and Bree .

"Chase, look," Davenport tried to explain. "You weren't in control of yourself. When you removed Spike, all that rage had to go somewhere. It expressed itself over the top of you and built off of what emotions you were already feeling."

Chase put his head in his hands. "No, that was all me… I made the choice to remove Spike. This is all on me."

Sabrina got up from her seat and sat next to him, putting her hand on his back. Rubbing up and down his spine, she spoke quietly into his ear. "Chase, you didn't know that Spike's rage would take control of you when you removed him. You can't be held responsible for that."

Chase let out a strangled cry and stood up. "Well, if I'm not responsible for what happened then who is? Who else could possibly be held responsible when it should _obviously _be me? "

"I am."

Everyone turned around to see Douglas standing behind them, clutching at his side. Tasha stood next to him to help her brother-in-law stay on his feet. A grimace was spread across his face. "I put Spike onto your chip." He laughed weakly, "I should have known it would come back to bite me in the butt one day."

"Douglas," Donald said. "This is not your –"

Douglas raised his hand to silence his older brother. "Don't try to take the blame for me, Donnie. If I had never put that app on his chip, none of this would have ever happened. I am responsible."

Chase groaned and pressed his fingers into his temples. He sat back down suddenly and Sabrina caught him on the way down, easing him back onto the chair.

"Chase, are you alright?" A look of worry crossed the girl's face. "What's wrong?"

Wincing, Chase spoke. "Head hurts…. I'm getting flashes of… memories I think." He leaned back against the couch and rested his neck on the curve of the top. He groaned again and spoke, "Yep. Definitely memories."

Sabrina put her hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. "It's gonna be okay, Chase. Everything is going to be just fine."

Chase looked at her and weakly smiled. "Thanks," he said before bending over in pain and crying out. He drug his hands through his hair, hoping to relieve some of the pain.

Sabrina placed her hand on her back again, trying to help him feel a little comfort and help understand that she was there for him.

Chase's breathing slowed and he sat back up. He ran his hands through his hair again, terrified by the memories raging through his mind. "Oh my gosh… Did I really say and do all those things?" Chase turned his gaze up to look at Donald and Douglas.

Donald took a step forward and opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He tried to console the boy again, but – again – no words spilled from his lips. He looked to the floor, almost hanging his head in shame, but not his own. He didn't want Chase to feel guilty for what he had done.

Douglas avoided making eye contact with the boy. He turned his head and stared at the bottom of the capsules.

Tears filled Chase's eyes. "I – I'm so sorry… I don't know what to… I can't…" Chase couldn't finish his sentence. "There's something very wrong with me." The first of the tears spilled out onto his cheeks.

Sabrina almost starting crying right along with him. "No, Chase. There's nothing wrong with –"

Chase cut her off. "Please don't. You and I both know that's not true." Chase stood and wiped the tears off his face. He pushed past his siblings and said, "Excuse me. I just need to be alone for a bit." He walked past Donald and looked to Douglas. He stopped and looked down at the bandages around his creator's torso. He let out a ragged sob and ran to the elevator pressing the button that would bring him to the first floor.

Donald turned and reached out to him. "Chase, wait! We can help you!"

But the elevator doors had already closed. Chase was gone – long gone.

* * *

AN - Okay, folks. Yeah... It's been a while since I written one of these. But it's voting time. Tell me what you think in a comment of PM. I don't really care which.

Q- Do you want Chase to mope around in self-loathing, misery, and depression for a while OR do you want him to snap back quickly?

I can really do either one, and the majority vote doesn't necessarily mean that's what I'll go with. I really just want some feedback. (Yes, this will effect how many chapters remain.) Please explain why you chose one or the other. Thanks!

Signing off, stikenotes


	10. Chapter 10

Lab Rats

Author's Note: So, I received a review from a guest that really upset me. I can't talk to them directly, so I'll just address all of you and hope that this guest gets my message. I DO NOT support suicide and I WILL NOT write any characters committing suicide. "Maybe he commits suicide from depression or at least tries too. If he lives he should apologize for causing them unnecessary headache not for trying to kill himself." This is NOT okay. Maybe I'm totally reading wrong into this, but it is still unacceptable. People with suicidal thoughts should seek help and if they don't, someone else should for them. This story will have a happy ending because I believe in happy endings. I believe that everyone can have one if they will surround themselves with the right people, express their feelings, and work to be happier.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please don't suffer through it alone. Go and get help. Talk to parents, friends, siblings, teachers, anyone! Don't ever think that people (including yourself) are better off with you dead. You have survived 100% of your worst days so far. Don't give up now.

Chapter 10

Chase had stolen Donald's motorcycle and driven to the first place he could think of to get away: his chemistry classroom. He parked outside the school and turned off the bike. He wiped fresh tears from his eyes and pushed open the front doors. He flipped a few lights on and made his way to the room where this whole ordeal had begun – where he had met Sabrina and been assigned the atomic model project.

He walked to the countertop in the back of the room. His blurry eyes landed on his own project. He walked over to it and picked it up. He turned and slid down the cabinets with the atom in his hands. He cradled the model and gently touched each colored sphere.

_If only it was as easy to make strong bonds between siblings as it is to make bonds between elements_, Chase thought. He almost laughed at how nerdy he sounded. It was no wonder Bree and Adam hated him. He was a total nerd… they didn't want him because he was embarrassing.

He set the model down next to him and pulled his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around his shins and pressed his cheeks into his kneecaps. The tears that were already spilling intensified. A strangled sob escaped Chase's throat. He shifted and pressed his eyes into his knees, trying to keep the tears from escaping but only soaking his jeans. Tears continued to spill out no matter his efforts.

Suddenly, the light flashed on. Chase's head jerked up. Someone must have found him. Footsteps echoed through the room and got closer to him. His chemistry teacher's face appeared above him.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" Miss Gotschaw asked. She crouched down next to him. "Are you alright? You weren't in class today… that's very unlike you."

Chase opened his mouth to speak but no words left his lips. He had no idea what to say to her.

"Chase, you've been crying." His teacher put her hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Again, Chase had no words to say. He blinked the tears from his eyes. He pressed into his mind, searching for words to speak, but nothing came to mind. All he could think to do was act. He ignored all logic and reasoning his intellect pushed on him and threw down his walls. He suddenly threw himself into his teacher's arms with a cry and sobbed.

Miss Gotschaw sat back with a surprised look on her face. Something terrible must have happened if Chase was being this emotional. Chase had always been one to keep to himself. He hardly showed any emotion other than excitement in her classroom. Even then, outbursts of excitement were few and far between. She steadied herself and wrapped her arms around her student, allowing him to cry onto her shoulder.

After a few minutes, Chase's cries began to die down. "Chase, would you like me to call your father?"

Chase immediately sat up and forced himself back. "No! Please – whatever you do – don't call him. Please," he begged.

"Alright, Chase. I won't call him. But I will be calling your step-mother." The chemistry teacher stood and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She walked to her desk to pull out student records and find Tasha's phone number. She pulled the binder from her drawer and flipped to the pages where she could find parental contacts. She dialed the number and put the phone to her ear.

Chase sat at the back of the room, watching his teacher make the call. She stood behind her desk, patiently waiting for his step-mother to pick up her cell.

"Mrs. Davenport? Hi, this is Helen Gotschaw. I'm Chase's chemistry teacher. I'm just calling to let you know that he's… What?... Yes, he's here. I found him in my classroom. I came back to get some assignments I left and found him in the back of my room… Yes, he's still here." She turned and looked at Chase at the back of the room. "Um, he said he doesn't want to speak to his father right now… Yes, I think that would be best… Sabrina's there?"

Chase perked up when he heard that Sabrina was still at his house.

Mrs. Gotschaw saw his reaction to her name and turned back to speak to the woman again. "I think that would be a great idea… Yes, I'll take good care of him… Yes… See you soon." She lowered the phone and hung up. She turned back around and returned to sit next to Chase. "That was Tasha. She's coming over to get you. I told her not to bring your father… Chase, did something happen at home. Did your dad… do something to you?"

Chase didn't reply. He shook his head and avoided looking back at his teacher.

"Chase, you can talk to me. Teacher-student confidentiality, right? I promise you'll get no judgement from me. Just an ear to listen to you."

Chase almost smiled. He was glad that his teacher was there for him, but she couldn't help. "There's something very wrong with me. You can't help…" Chase tried to stand up, but his teacher reached out and pulled him back down.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not going anywhere. I told Tasha that I would take care of you and that's what I'm going to do. We are going to sit here until she comes and gets you."

Chase frowned and shifted into a comfortable position. _Well, at least it's Tasha_. Tasha was the only one who had ever been truly kind to Chase. Never an ugly comment or word came from her mouth. No teasing. Only encouragement. She had been there for him the morning after Spike reared his ugly head in front of Sabrina. She was the only one who had made a real effort to help him.

But, now that he thought about it, that wasn't really true. Adam _did_ try to make everything up to him. Chase was the one who wouldn't listen. He just pushed him away. He wouldn't even allow his brother to try apologizing. He ignored him, yelled at him, ran away from him… Adam reached out a hand to pull him up and he just swatted it away.

Thinking about how he had wronged his brother only made him feel worse. He pulled his knees up to his chest again. He was a _terrible _brother.

* * *

A knock sounded on the classroom door. Mrs. Gotschaw stood and walked to open it. When it swung open, a desperate looking Tasha stepped in.

"Please tell me he's still here!" Tasha cried out.

"He's in the back, Mrs. Davenport. He hasn't moved at all," Mrs. Gotschaw gestured to where Chase was sitting.

Tasha turned her head and watched Chase stand up, guilt spread thickly across his face. "Chase! You're alright!" She moved as fast as she could and embraced the boy. "We were so worried about you! We thought you had gotten hurt!"

She stepped back and looked up and down him. "You aren't hurt are you?" she whispered.

"No, Mrs. Davenport," Chase quietly answered. "I'm fine."

Tasha hugged him again. "Good."

Chase slowly wrapped his arms around his adoptive mother. He pressed his head into her shoulder, almost sobbing again for what he had done.

Footsteps echoed through the room. Chase looked up in confusion. _Who else is here?_ He thought.

Chase's jaw nearly dropped. Sabrina was standing in the doorway. "Sabrina, what are you doing here?" He stepped away from Tasha who turned to face the girl and smiled.

"She was really worried about you Chase. She insisted on coming," Tasha put her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"But… I thought…" Chase trailed off.

"That I would hate you forever? See you as damaged goods?" Sabrina asked, stepping forward. She sighed and looked to her feet. "I know what I said to you a few days ago. What I called you. And, I'm really sorry. I should never have said that. It was wrong."

Sabrina wrung her hands and paused. "I want to make it up to you." She stepped forward and grabbed his hand. "I want to help you get through this – help you become the Chase that I fell for."

"Sabrina," Chase backed away and pulled his hand from hers. "There's nothing you have to make up for. You were right. I am a – a monster. There's nothing I can do to fix it. I'm just a burden on everyone."

"Chase," Tasha piped in. "Don't you _ever _say that again! You are not a monster and you are certainly not a burden."

Tears filled the woman's eyes. "How could you ever think that?" She gripped the boy's shoulder and traced her hand down his arm to his elbow.

Chase grew frustrated and yanked his arm away. "How could I think any different? After everything I have done… everything I said."

He turned away and sat in a nearby desk. He threaded one hand through his hair. "It's like I said before. There's something wrong with me." His voice grew softer with each word.

"You know what, Chase? You're right," Sabrina spoke.

Chase's head shot back up, confused by what Sabrina had said – why she had said it. _Is that supposed to make me feel better? _

"There is something wrong with you, but it's not what you think," Sabrina walked to the desk and knelt in front of him, putting her hands on his knees. "You want to know what's wrong? You won't let anyone in. You won't accept help from other people."

Chase's eyes filled with tears, realizing that Sabrina was totally right.

"Please let us help you, Chase. You have to let somebody in. Keeping it to yourself – pushing it all down inside… It's not good for you."

"I don't need anyone's help, Sabrina. I can deal with this on my own," Chase tried to rationalize his actions. "I don't want to be any more of a burden on anyone than I already am." Chase's voice became soft and shaky.

"Chase, please. You're not burdening anyone," Tasha piped in again.

Sabrina nodded in agreement. "She's right. You know that," she paused. Gathering her thoughts, Sabrina bit her lip and spoke again. "Please, Chase. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for someone else. Mrs. Davenport, Mr. Davenport, Adam, anyone."

She stopped and looked down at the floor. "Do it for me, Chase."

The room was silent. Minutes passed and no one spoke a word. The women waited patiently for Chase to respond.

Chase sat at the desk, pondering on what he should do. _I don't want to depend on somebody else. I don't want anyone to have to go through the trouble of… fixing me._ He honestly believed that he needed fixing. There was something broken inside of him. A broken gear or a snapped wire. Perhaps a circuit had been severed. He needed repair, but he didn't want anyone to feel burdened with the task of fixing him.

But, he knew it would be hard to overcome this on his own. Looking back on what he had already done to try to fix everything, it was obvious that trying to fix himself would only make things worse. He had nearly killed his siblings and his own father. He had been so cruel to his family. He had scared Sabrina to the bone.

Sabrina. He could barely even think of her name without getting butterflies in his stomach. He barely even knew her, but he knew that he wanted to know everything about her. She was intelligent and sweet. She was kind to him and didn't use him for his bionic smarts. She actually liked him for who he was! Well, she did until she found out who he was. Then she wanted nothing to do with him. He could totally relate. Right now, he didn't want anything to do with himself.

_But, she's here now. Maybe she doesn't hate me anymore. _And she had been there when he woke up. She helped him then and was trying to help him now. _She wouldn't do that if she hated me._ Chase almost smiled when he realized that Sabrina cared about him but, he couldn't quite lift his spirit enough.

_If she cares about me after what I did to her, maybe the others do too. _Chase knew what he had to do. He needed to get help. He needed to learn how to let others help him – how to let people in.

Chase looked up. He sighed and put his hand on Sabrina's which was still resting on his knee. "Okay," he said. "But, I'm going to need help. Don't let me give up on myself because that's all I want to do right now."

All three of the others grinned from ear to ear.

Sabrina nearly squealed with delight. She stood up quickly and threw her arms around the boy. "You're doing the right thing, Chase." She pulled back and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Chase's eyes grew to the size of bowling balls. Sabrina had just kissed him. On the cheek, of course, but a kiss was a kiss. Sabrina pulled back and Chase stood up next to her.

Tasha clapped her hands together. "Well, let's go back home, shall we?"


	11. Chapter 11

Lab Rats

Chapter 11

The sun had gone down and left the world black by the time Tasha, Sabrina, and Chase arrived back at the Davenport home. Tasha pulled into the driveway of their home and shut off the engine. Unbuckling, she turned to the teens seated behind her and said, "We're back guys. I'll go warm up some food for you two, alright?" She opened her door and got out of the car.

Chase remained in his seat, fidgeting nervously. _How could he go in and face them? How could he look them in the eye after all he had said and done? _Degrading thoughts like these filled his mind, plaguing every corner. He gripped his knees, knuckles going white with anxiety.

He opened his mouth. "Never mind. I don't think I can do this. They…. They'll hate me for sure. I can't go in there. I can't face them."

Sabrina's hand found its way to rest on Chase's right. "Chase, it's going to be okay. They want to help you just like I do. They don't hate you." She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. She turned and opened her door, stepping out of the car.

Chase's grip relented slightly. He looked up to see Sabrina standing outside his door, pulling the handle open. She smiled down at him and reached out her hand. Chase sighed, hoping it would calm his flustered nerves. He swung his legs to the open door on his left and grabbed Sabrina's hand. He stood and closed the door, intertwining his fingers with Sabrina's. He rubbed his clammy right hand down his jeans and hoped he could keep some composure in front of his family.

* * *

The door swung open. Sabrina stepped in with a smile on her face.

Adam was seated on the couch. As soon as her heard the door open, his head swung up. Hoping to see his little brother, he leaned over to where Bree was laying next to him and jerked her awake. "Bree! They're back!"

Bree sat up and rubbed her eyes. Standing and yawning she said, "Where is he? Is Chase okay?"

Sabrina's smile widened. Nodding, she turned back to pull Chase in behind her, his hand still linked with hers. "He's fine."

He shuffled in and looked at his shoes, ashamed to look into the eyes of his family members. Sabrina's hand wrapped around the crook of his arm. Her voice whispered into his ear. "See? I told you they don't hate you. They were worried."

Chase looked up at her, still avoiding the gaze of his siblings. His eyes locked with hers, searching for something. He wasn't sure what. Maybe a 'go ahead' signal? He couldn't decide what he was looking for.

Sabrina rubbed his arm. "It's alright, Chase. Everything's going to be fine." She turned and looked back at Adam and Bree. She kept her gaze on them and spoke again. "Go on. They want to talk to you." She released her hand from his grip and gently pushed him toward his brother and sister.

Though Sabrina had let go of his hand, Chase hadn't quite loosened his grip on her fingers yet. As he was pushed forward, his hand trailed behind him as if it was unwilling to let her go. He turned and looked back at her. When she smiled at him and nodded, he sighed and let go of her hand. He turned back around and finally looked up at Adam and Bree. "Um, hi guys."

He looked down at the floor again, avoiding their eyes. Rubbing his arm, he said, "I don't really know what to say other than I'm sorry for running away. And for what I did to you." He looked back up again and tears filled his eyes. He began sobbing. "I – I'm so sorry! I didn't –"

Bree cut him off by speeding to his side and wrapping her arms around her little brother. Adam followed close behind and hugged them both, lifting them from the ground. All three were in tears, crying together and soaking another's shirt.

Adam set his siblings down and released them. Bree wiped her eyes and smiled. "I'm so glad you're back, Chase. Both of us are." She stepped back. "I'm going to go find Mr. Davenport. He's been worried sick." Her form became a blur speeding from the room.

Adam turned to watch his sister leave. He kept his back turned to Chase when she had been gone for a few moments.

Sabrina broke the awkward silence. "I'll find Leo. He'll want to see you too, Chase." She walked past Chase and rubbed his arm in assurance, smiling to encourage him to continue what he was doing.

Chase turned to her and stared into her eyes, begging her not to leave him. He nearly grabbed her hand and tugged her back, but she moved away to quickly. He watched her form disappear through the doorway and shuffled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He looked back down and the ground. He knew if he had anyone to apologize to, it was Adam. He had wronged him more than anyone. "Um, Adam… I said some things to you and…"

Adam spun around and looked at him, tears still flowing freely from his face. "It's okay, Chase. I probably deserved it." Adam's mouth opened and closed. He seemed to be trying to decide what to say. He remained locked in indecision until he stopped and turned his head to the ground. He stared down to his shoelaces and paused there. Suddenly, he jerked back up and rushed to Chase's side, flinging his arms around his younger brother.

Chase flinched, surprised at his brother's actions. His arms were locked at his sides by Adam's arms. He face was pressed into his older brother's shoulder, a look of surprise confusion spread across it. He was about to open his mouth to ask why his brother was hugging him again when Adam let out a tortured sob.

"Chase, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" Adam's frame jerked and swayed with each outburst of tears. "I – I never should have said any of those things about you! I should never have teased you or beat on you!"

Chase's tears resumed as soon as he heard Adam speak. "Adam, I'm just as much to blame. I should have known better than to mess with my chip's infrastructure."

Adam's grip around him tightened but moved so Chase could reciprocate the hug he was receiving. He wrapped his arms around his older brother and let out a cry. "I am so sorry for how I treated you when I was…"

Adam interrupted him when he paused. "I – I don't care about that, Chase. I'm just glad you're okay now. You weren't you as that… thing – whatever it was. That wasn't my Chasey. It wasn't my baby brother."

"Adam, I wish you wouldn't say that," Chase pulled away from him.

Adam pulled back as well. He looked to the ground. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'll try to remember not to call you that anymore." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, it's not that." Chase said. "I wish you wouldn't say that you don't care like it doesn't matter - because it does. It matters a lot – what happened. What I did… it changes everything. I - I _broke_ everything."

"You're right, Chase," Mr. Davenport appeared in the doorway, Bree close behind him. "Things are different now, and they probably won't ever be the same. But that doesn't mean that we can't try to repair the damage that was done – by _all _of us. Not just you." Donald smiled, walking towards his adopted son and reaching out to hug him.

Chase didn't move, stunned by what the man had said to him. When Donald's arms closed around him, he froze for a while. He struggled to comprehend what Mr. Davenport meant.

"Chase!" Leo's voice cried out and soon he appeared in Chase's view. "You're back!" His step-brother ran to him and flung his arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay. We were worried sick!"

Chase smiled a little. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around Donald and Leo, glad to see them even though he had been reluctant at first. He buried his face in Mr. Davenport's black v-neck, his smile growing ever larger. He began to cry again but they were different this time. They were not tears of sorrow or happiness even. They were tears of hope – hope that they could fix the gaping tear that separated them.

Chase pulled out of Donald and Leo's embrace, looking for Sabrina. He found her standing behind the kitchen counter with a grinning Tasha. When she noticed his gaze, she smiled softly at him. He stepped around his family members and walked to the counter, placing his hands on the cool surface. "Thank you," he said. "For helping me with this."

Sabrina reached out and grabbed his hand. "You're welcome, Chase. I think you and I both needed this."

Chase squinted, confused. "You? Why would you need this?"

Sabrina looked down at their hands. She let go of him and walked around to corner to stand next to him. Grabbing his hand again, she said, "Because I was so mean to you and you didn't deserve it. You had no control over your actions, but I called you a monster and left you to suffer on your own." Sabrina couldn't bring herself to look in to his eyes. "I needed this to right my wrongs and make up for how I treated you before I knew the whole story."

Chase smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Sabrina. I never blamed you for what you said to me. I believed you, but I didn't find you at any fault. If it makes you feel better, I forgive you."

Sabrina smiled and looked up at him. "Thank you, Chase. But this isn't about me. This about helping you to get better and fixing your relationship with your family. That's what's important." She reciprocated the grip Chase had on her hand and pulled him away from the counter towards his family.

Tasha's voice sounded from behind. "Who wants a snack?"

* * *

A plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies lay steaming on the coffee table. Adam's eyes widened at the sight and he screamed, "Cookies!" and reached out to grab a handful. He shoved half of them into this mouth, the other half crumbling on his face and falling into his lap. The rest of the family laughed at the mess he had made and reached for one of Tasha's delicious cookies.

Chase did not reach for one. He didn't know how the next few minutes would play out, let alone the next few days, weeks, months… but he knew it wouldn't be easy for him. He sat back and wrung his hands. He would probably have to talk about what had happened with him. He wasn't quite sure he knew how to talk about it or what to even say.

"Hey, Chase," Leo said, sticking the pate of cookies in the brunette's face. "Don't you want one? They're really good. My mom made them."

Chase looked up to see Leo smiling at him. He reached out to the plate, hesitating before he took one. He looked at Sabrina sitting next to him.

She put her hand on his knee. "Chase, you don't need to look at me like you're asking for permission. It's a cookie. It's probably not going to hurt you." She laughed softly.

Chase blushed and grabbed a cookie. Sabrina was right. He didn't have to look at her for permission for everything. He needed to be able to make decisions on his own. And it was just a cookie. He had made it into a big deal when he didn't need to.

"Sorry," Chase let out a weak chuckle and smiled at Sabrina. "You're right."

Sabrina laughed. "Of course, I'm right. Duh, Chase." She smiled at him and grabbed his hand.

Chase's smile only grew bigger. He squeezed her hand and pulled it into his lap. He placed his other hand on top of theirs.

"Alright," Donald stood and clapped his hands together. "Before you two get all lovey-dovey, we need to talk about what happened. Everything from beginning to end. And – Chase, you might not be very happy about this – maybe discuss hiring a psychologist of some sort."

"What?" Chase's expression dissipated and he stood, dropping Sabrina's hand. "A shrink?"

"Yes, Chase. I think that might help you the best – all of us, I mean."

"I'm not okay with that! You haven't even tried to fix anything without one yet. How do you know that we can't figure this out without one?"

"Chase, it can only help. Why are you resisting this?"

"Because you're putting this problem on someone else! You're not trying to help... me. You're putting my – my burden on someone else so that you don't have to deal with me!" Chase's voice rose with every word.

Sabrina stood up and put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him. "Chase, I think you might be over reacting to this. I think he's just trying to – "

He looked at her. "Don't try to defend him!" He growled and turned back to look at Donald. "This is exactly what caused this whole fiasco! You treated me like I'm a burden – all of you – and you still are!"

"Now hold on, Chase!" Bree stood. "This wasn't our idea. I didn't agree to getting a shrink either."

"But you didn't object to it either!" Chase accused.

Adam jumped up. "Hey! Don't yell at her. She's just trying to defend herself!"

Chase's eye filled with hate. "Don't you start, Adam! You always take her side!" He started to walk towards him, fists clenched and ready for a fight.

Sabrina's grip tightened on his arm and she pulled him back. "Chase, this is not helping anyone. You were just talking about how sorry you were for what you did. Why are you adding on to it?"

Chase spun around, anger and heartbreak splayed across his face. "You're taking their side, now?"

Sabrina drew her head back in surprise. "What? No, of course not. I'm just trying to help you calm down."

"I don't need to calm down! I'm fine!" Chase's fist clenched tighter and he lowered his head.

Leo chuckled. "As evidenced by your white knuckles."

Chase growled and grit his teeth. He was mocking him. After all that they had just been through, he was _mocking _him. Chase's head snapped back up. _They don't want to help me at all. They just want to put me back in my place._

Adam giggled. "And your weak, kitten mewls."

"Adam, what are you doing?" Bree punched her older brother in the arm, trying to get him to stop mocking Chase. "This is exactly started this whole fiasco! We're trying to fix this, not make it worse!"

Bree's words were lost to Chase's ears. His vision was drenched in red after Adam's comment. In the corner of his bionic vision, he could see his aggression levels rising to dangerous levels – close to where Spike would be triggered. He ignored them for a bit, focusing on what Adam and Leo had said. His fists clenched even tighter, nails digging into his palms. He could hear his teeth grinding against each other loudly in his ears.

Digital words flashed across his vision. _Commando App: Activated._

Chase's eyes widened. He still had a few moments of self-control and lucidity before Spike took control. He gasped and fell to his knees. He breathing sped up and he began hyperventilating. "No! Please, no! Not again!" Tears began pouring out of his eyes and he raked his hands through his hair hoping it stop the app from taking over.

Tasha and Sabrina knelt next to him on the floor. "What is it? What's wrong?" Tasha rubbed his back and asked.

Chase gasped, taking in as much air as he could. A whisper fell from his lips. "_Spike_."

The world went black and Chase's grip on reality was severed.

* * *

Hey, everyone! Please let me know how this chapter went! I love to hear from you. Tell me what you think. Feedback is great and encourages me to get the next chapter done. So, please review!

Thanks!

stikenotes


	12. Chapter 12

Lab Rats

A/N:

Hey, guys. I know it's been a while. I'm not really gonna make any excuse other than college is really demanding on time effort. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Leave me a review and tell me what you think! And share this with any of your Lab Rats/Chase friends!

Chapter 12

Chase had stopped moving and his breathing had gone quiet.

Sabrina softly stepped towards the boy. She reached out and went to kneel next to him and see if he was alright, but a growl grew from his direction.

Leo screamed. "Spike!" He jumped and ran from the room.

Tasha backed up and grabbed Donald's arm. "Donald! What do we do?"

Donald's eye were wider than dinner plates. "I – I don't know! We just put Spike back on Chase's chip, but we didn't bother to check that it was reinstalled correctly. He may not even be the same!"

"Well, we have to do something! He'll destroy everything – including us!" Bree cried. She and Adam had taken up defensive positions in the living room, trying to prepare for the worst.

Sabrina on the other hand was entirely frozen in her focus on Spike. He had relaxed and was hardly moving at all. She tried to study him but could hardly tell what was going through his mind when all she could see was his back. She wanted to try and reach out to him again, but was afraid of what he would do to her if she tried to help. She remembered what Spike was like the first time she had seen him, and she didn't want to see that again.

She was just about to open her and call out to him when Spike suddenly sat up and stood. He was still facing away from the others but his breathing grew heavy.

"He's mad. _Really _mad," Adam said and backed away.

"This is all your fault, Adam!" Bree exclaimed. "If you had just kept your stupid mouth shut we wouldn't be –"

Spike spun around. His eyes burned with a glare so intense it could burn through steel a hundred meters thick in seconds.

Bree shut her mouth and whimpered, hoping no one would hear her fear. She backed up again.

Spike grinned. "I see I'm still in my rightful place as the alpha male around here then. Good. Wouldn't want any of you pansies trying to take my place."

Adam scoffed.

Spike's grin faltered. Her turned and stared at Adam, his glare still heavy. "Something you wanna say, pretty boy?"

"You're not the alpha male," the elder brother folded his arms confidently.

"Oh, really? Enlighten me," Spike chuckled. "Who is then? You?"

"Obviously. You talk big, but that's all you have. Chase's body is the weakest one I've ever seen. You could never beat me. Not in that body."

"Oh really?" Spike smugly marched up to Adam and stared him in the eyes. "Would you like to test that theory?"

"Would I ever. I could take you down anytime, anywhere." Adam resumed his fighting stance, prepared to fight.

"If you think you could win in a fight against me then you're an even bigger fool than you look. I would just assumed an idiot from your face, but as soon as you open your mouth it becomes clear," Spike's grin grew even bigger. He swiftly grabbed the front of Adam's shirt and tugged him down to his eye level. "You are the most spastic, weak-minded, _cretin_ to ever walk the face of the earth."

Adam blinked in confusion, a little intimidated by Spike's actions. He looked up to the ceiling and tried to figure out what exactly Spike had meant. He opened his mouth indecisive on what he should say back. "I'm not really sure what that means."

Spike rolled his eyes and groaned. "You know, this just goes to prove my point. Let me put it in words you can understand. You are _stupid._ If the world's stupidest person and a rock had a child, it would be smarter than you - in all definitions of the word." Spike's words oozed hatred. He released Adam's shirt and Adam rocked back. "Turkeys are the dumbest animals on the planet. Their brain is so primitive that when it rains, they stare up into the sky so they can watch until their lungs fill up with water and they suffocate to death. Their brains could run circles around yours."

Adam glared back a Spike. His fists clenched and he went to make a comeback about Spike's height or something else when Spike suddenly laughed.

"I see you finally understand what I have known all along. I bet it feels nice to finally have some understanding of what you are."

Bree stepped up to him. "Hey! I know Adam is not the smartest person, but that gives you no right to mock him like that."

"Bree," Spike smiled. "It's a pleasure to see you. I hope it's a pleasure for you to see me too. Wait, can you even see me at all? You're so full of yourself sometimes it's hard to tell if the rest of us even exist."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bree questioned.

Spike nearly exploded. "All you care about is yourself! You have never had any consideration for others. You can't complete one sentence without talking about yourself or finish a thought without thinking about how it will affect you."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing…" Bree tried to defend herself.

"Not a bad thing?" Spike laughed again. "You can't even see it, can you? You are so self-absorbed that you can't tell the difference between self-preservation and narcissism. Do you think the world revolves around you?"

"What? No, of course not. I – " Bree tried to defend herself but Spike interrupted.

"No wonder he gave up on trying to hang out with you at school."

"Who gave up on – "

"Who do you think?!" Spike yelled.

"Would you stop interrupting me? Gosh, I try to get one full sentence out and you cut me off!"

Spike grinned and leaned back, smugly.

"What?" Bree asked quietly. Spike's grin scared her.

He laughed. "You just proved my point. You are so concerned with what I did that you don't even care about him."

Bree faltered. She hadn't even realized that she had dropped the subject of whomever had given up on her. He was right. Bree stayed silent, embarrassed that he had been correct about her self-absorption.

Spike laughed again, even louder than before. "You _still _don't care!"

"What? Of course, I do! How could you say that?" Bree's eyes began watering.

"How could I say that? Well, let's see. First, you were only concerned about me interrupting you. And now, all you can think about is how embarrassed you are that someone _finally_ said something about your selfishness! Is that a good enough explanation for you, sweetheart?"

Tears flowed freely down Bree's face. "I'll prove to you that I don't only care about myself. Tell me who you were talking about. I want to kn- I want to apologize to them."

Spike rubbed his chin. "Hmm. You know I don't think I will tell you. It'll be more fun to see you figure it out on your own. The look on your face when you realize who… Ha! It'll be priceless! I can't wait."

The room went silent. Bree was frozen to the floor. Who could it have been? Who was Spike talking about? It couldn't have been Adam. He wasn't really smart enough to think that way. And he had been following her around at school since their first day. It wasn't Leo. He would follow her around to, but she was pretty okay with it. When he wasn't annoying her anyway. Could it have been Ethan or Owen or, perhaps even Marcus?

The gears in her mind stopped. Who else could it have been but him?

Her sob broke through the room.

Of course. It was him.

"Chase," her voice shook. "You were talking about yourself. Well, your other self, I mean." She wiped the tears off of her cheek, but the flow did not lessen.

Spike's glare tore into her eyes. "Who else could it have been?" he snarled. Suddenly, he was in her face. He grabbed her by the throat. "Who else could it _possibly_ have been? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised based on your history with him."

Bree gasped at the clutch on her throat. "Mr. Davenport! Adam!" She winced.

Adam roared and threw a punch at Spike. The younger boy easily ducked and delivered a punch to his brother's exposed underarm. Adam cried out and retreated.

Donald yelled, "Adam!" He reached out and almost ran to his side, but stopped in his tracks.

Spike was shooting his death glare at him now. "If you take even one step towards him, I will _end you._"

Donald stayed where he was. Tasha's grip tightened on his arm. Her voice whispered in his ear. "Donald, what do we do?"

"I don't know, Tasha. I've never seen Spike recall Chase's memories before. He has always just kinda gone with the situation he's in and mad e his own memories of what is happening. He's somehow accessed them and is using them to fuel his anger. The app must be glitching," he whispered back.

Spike yelled. "Hey! Will you two _shut up_? I can hear you. I still have all of Chase's abilities – super senses include hearing." He turned back to Bree and muttered, "_Morons._"

"You may have his abilities, but that doesn't give you the right to abuse them," Sabrina stepped forward. A look of nervous confidence was spread across her face. "Chase would be ashamed of you. He would never hurt his siblings – physically or emotionally."

"It's not like he could anyway. Not with his scrawny little arms," Adam chuckled.

"You mean the scrawny little arms that took you down with one blow not 5 minutes ago?" Spike growled.

Bree spoke through her slowing tears. "Shut up, Adam. You're making this worse." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, Spike. Listen. Let me go and we'll talk this through like mature adults."

"The time for talking is over. And besides, where has it ever gotten Chase? You were going to send him – us – to a shrink without even thinking about trying to work through things on your own. You have never listened to a word he has ever said." Spike released Bree's throat. "There will be no more talking. It's my turn to – "

Spike cut off as a frying pan collided with the top of his skull. He crumbled to the ground in a heap. Sabrina rushed to his side to ensure he was only knocked out and not injured badly.

Douglas stood with the frying pan in his head and Leo by his side. "You know, Disney movies sure can teach you a lot. Never knew a frying pan could be so handy."

"Douglas! Thank goodness. I thought for sure we were all goners." Tasha gasped and placed her hand on her chest, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart. "How did you know to come?"

"Leo came and found me. I was trying to rest, but I was needed here."

Donald stepped forward to check on Chase. He leaned down and examined where the boy had been struck. Seeing no blood, he stood and said, "He's going to be just fine. Hopefully we'll get Chase when he wakes up and not Spike again. Adam, can you bring him down to the lab? I'm going to try to –"

Douglas stepped between him and the boy on the ground. "I think you've done enough for today, Donnie. I'll take over from here. Adam, if you would?"

Donald froze in shock. What did Douglas mean? He watched his brother and son walk out of the room, his jaw nearly touching the floor. He turned and looked back at his wife, hoping she would offer some explanation. Tasha noticed his gaze and only looked to the floor, avoiding eye contact. Stunned by her refusal to look at him, he turned back around. Unsure of what he should do or how to react, he went and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his eyes and went silent.

Bree sat next to him, rubbing her sore neck with one hand and wrapping her arm around her father's shoulder. Tears softly fell down her cheeks.

Sabrina stood up from the floor. "Um, I think I better head home. My dad is probably really worried. I'll come by tomorrow if that's alright."

"Of course, sweetie," Tasha cooed. "That would be wonderful."

Sabrina nodded and walked out the front door, sighing. Had they made any progress like she had thought? Had anything been accomplished today?


	13. Chapter 13

Lab Rats

Chapter 13

Chase's vision was filling with light before his mind was clear. He could hear things before he could comprehend what they were. His senses were being over loaded with sound, color, and everything was too much.

When Chase came to again, his head ached, but the color and light that flooded his vision made familiar shapes. The sounds he heard started to form words. He could match the tones and quirks with faces and names in his head.

"I think it would be best for everyone, Donald," a voice spoke. It was a male. Adam, perhaps? _No_, Chase reasoned. _It sounded far too mature for Adam's voice. And he only calls him Mr. Davenport. Never Donald._

It had to have been Douglas. But, what would be best for everyone?

Chase couldn't quite move yet and was still groggy, so he focused his ears on the conversation.

"What? No way, Douglas! That's a terrible idea. Tearing our family apart like that isn't going to help anyone and certainly not Chase. He needs everyone right now and we need to fix this together. _All of us_," Donald spoke, aggravated.

What did he mean "tearing our family apart"? Were they sending him away to some psych facility to be evaluated? Had he finally snapped? What was going on?

"I've been giving this a lot of thought, Donnie. I think this would benefit everyone – especially Chase. Leaving would be good for him. He doesn't need any more bad influences."

Chase's mind halted in its tracks. Douglas wanted to send him away. He wanted him to be separated from his family. His realization woke Chase up and gave enough energy to sit up. He found himself lying on the couch by the front door. Donald was sitting at his desk by the back window and Douglas stood in front, his hands pressed into the glass surface. His head ached, but he reached up to press down on it and spoke. "Y-you're sending me away?"

Donald's appeared from behind Douglas. He stood and stepped out from behind the desk, walking towards the boy sitting across the room.

Douglas turned around and followed behind his brother. He sat down next to Chase on the couch and stared at the floor, his spiked hair pointing skyward like razor sharp toothpicks.

Donald knelt in front of Chase and put his hand on his shoulder. "No, Chase. No one is being sent away. No one in this family is going anywhere," Donald turned his head and glared at Douglas.

"Donald, this is not your decision to make! I've been thinking about this for a really long time and I think it would be better if I – "

"No, Douglas! You've torn this family apart too many times already. I'm not going to let you do it again!"

Chase looked at Douglas, tears filling his eyes. He had thought that if anyone understood his situation it would have been him. They were so similar. Why would Douglas want to send him away?

"Oh for the love of – " Douglas sighed. "Look, _Donnie_. My presence here is what tearing this family apart! This is all my fault! I never should have designed that stupid commando app. None of this would have happened if I had… that doesn't matter now though." Douglas stood and straightened his shirt, trying to make himself more sophisticated and in control. "I'm moving out, Chase. Not you. I'm leaving, and maybe for good. This is my decision, and I'm making it for the good of everyone in this family." He walked out of the room.

Chase was frozen in his seat. How was he supposed to respond to that? His father was leaving and he might not ever see them again. A tear landed on his jeans. The drop darkened his pants and spread to the size of a dime. His finger wormed toward the spot and touched it.

_Why would Douglas think that he is tearing our family apart? We've had problems since before we even knew he existed. This family was broken since the beginning. _

Donald's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Chase? Are you alright?"

Chase moved his hand to discreetly cover his trembling lips. "I – " He paused and closed his eyes. "I don't think so."

He stood and turned away from the man who had been kneeling in front of him. "Excuse me. I just need to be alone right now." He stepped away and headed for the elevator.

* * *

Two days passed and very few words were spoken in the Davenport home. Tasha tried her best to bring happiness and cheer back into the home by making favorite foods, playing games, and being positive, but nothing seemed to work. Everyone seemed determined to avoid each other and anything that would bring them even a sliver of happiness. Eventually, at the end of the second day of trying, she found herself sitting on a bar stool in the kitchen with her hand holding up her chin.

Shouting came from the elevator. "Douglas, I'm not going to let you leave! We need you here!"

"Donnie, we've been over this. I am a grown man and I can make my own decisions. I don't need you breathing down my neck and I am doing this whether you want me to or not," Douglas yelled.

The quarreling brothers appeared in the doorway, a large duffel bag hanging from Douglas's hand. Donald was close behind, frustration painted across his face. Douglas stormed towards the door. He huffed every time his brother opened his mouth to give another excuse for Douglas to stay.

Tasha stood and followed her husband. "Donald, there's nothing we can say that will change his mind. Just let him go." She put her hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him away.

Donald stood in silence. He wrung his hands and looked down at his shoes.

Another pair of footsteps echoed into the room. Tasha and Donald turned, and Douglas leaned around them to see Chase standing behind them and staring at the floor. A duffel bag similar to Douglas's sat at his side. "Um, Douglas?" He paused and looked up at his father and adoptive parents. "I want to come with you."

Donald's jaw dropped. "What? No! You can't go with him, Chase! You belong here with us."

Chase ignored him and looked straight into Douglas's gaze. "Please?"

Douglas was stunned. "Why, Chase? Wouldn't you rather be here with your family? They want to help you and –"

Chase interrupted. "I want to go with you. I – I need some space."

Douglas dragged his free hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright, kid. Let's go."

Tasha nearly sobbed. "Wait, Chase." She let go of Donald's shoulder and threw her arms around the young man. "What will we tell your siblings? What about Sabrina?"

Douglas responded, "We won't be too far away. I'll make sure Chase can still go to Mission Creek with them."

Chase's eyes filled with tears. This was something he needed to do. He needed to be away from his family but also nearby. He pulled away before any droplets could fall from his eyes. He wiped away what would soon spill over and picked up his bag. He walked up to Douglas who squeezed his shoulder.

Douglas reached out and opened the door. As Chase stepped out of the home, Douglas turned and looked to his brother. "I'll take good care of him. I promise. You guys just make sure to take care of yourselves, alright? We'll figure this out."

Donald nodded and grabbed his wife's hand. "I know we will."

Douglas smiled and pulled the door closed.

* * *

Tasha and Donald trudged down to the lab and explained to the kids what had happened.

"This won't be permanent, right?" Leo asked. "They're coming back."

"We can't know for sure, Leo. But we sure hope so," Donald explained. "As far as we know, they'll be back as soon as we can all learn to treat each other as a family should. Chase _and_ Douglas. At least, that's what we're hoping."

Adam stood up. "Well, good riddance to both of them."

Bree eye's snapped to her brother. "How could you say that, Adam?"

"All those two have ever done is cause trouble around here. With them gone, I can finally do whatever I want and not be bothered about it."

Donald spoke. "Adam, stop it. He is your brother. He loves you and you love him," he turned to face all the others in the room. "We all need to work hard to treat each other like family instead of like garbage. We drove Chase and Douglas away and they are blaming themselves for it. The only person who has never hurt Chase is Tasha and we need to strive to be more like her."

He sat down in the chair next to his wife. "Tasha, you are the kindest person I know. Would you be willing to help us to act more like you? More like a family?"

Tasha smiled and squeezed his hand. "I would love to. I think we all need this. There are some places I can improve on too. We can all do this if we work together. I don't think any one person is responsible and no one person is innocent in this situation. I want to help you but only if you all will help me too."

Leo stood and swung his arms around Adam and Bree, smiling like there was no tomorrow. "Sounds like this has become a family effort."

Donald nodded. "That's right, Leo. We're all working together on this. No one is getting out of it. We're doing this for Chase."

* * *

Douglas pulled keys out his pocket and searched for the correct one. "Are you sure this is what you want, Chase?"

Chase sighed and nodded. "I need this, Douglas. I just need some space from everyone."

Douglas pushed a key into the lock and opened the door. "Okay. Welcome home then, kid."

Chase stepped into the small apartment. And set down his bag. "Wow. It's fully furnished."

"Yeah. I've got a really nice job lined up." Douglas scratched his head.

Chase turned. "Really? Where?"

Douglas chuckled. "That's kind of a funny story. I'm working at the local Department of Homeland Security office."

"How did you get a job with them with your criminal background?" Chase was stunned.

"Well, I have experience with being a bad guy so I know exactly how to defend against them. I know how their minds work."

Chase grinned. "That's awesome, Douglas!"

"I know!" The man laughed. "Well, the extra bedroom is just down that hallway next to the bathroom. You can unpack your things in there. I'll put my stuff away and then make some breakfast before we have to leave and get you to school."

Chase nodded and lifted his bag. He pushed past the furniture and through the hallway. When he stepped into his room he paused. He set down his bag on the bed and turned around, taking in the structure and layout of the room. He noted dimensions and colors, where the lights were, and determined where the electric lines had to be to connect to the light switches. There was a large desk in the corner of the room that would be the perfect size for him to do homework and projects of his own creation. Next to the bare bed, he noted a night stand and across the room from it was a dresser where he could store his clothing.

He was overjoyed to have his own space. He didn't have to share anything with his siblings and he could get all his work done in peace. The room was perfect. But something was missing. Something kept the room from being complete.

Chase turned toward the door and walked back into the kitchen. "Hey, Douglas? What should we do about my capsule? If I don't have one to regulate my bionics, I'll glitch," he said. Wringing his hands, he continued, "Spike might come back again."

Douglas looked up. "You're right. Um, I guess I'll work that out while you're at school. Speaking of which, it's almost time to go. Grab your book bag and we'll head out. I have some toast for you."

Chase nodded and walked back to get his things for school. He knew he would have to face Adam, Bree and Leo there. Hopefully Sabrina would be there to help him get through this.

* * *

A/N: I really hop you guys like this chapter. I'm not quite sure I wrote it very well but this was a big plot point I really wanted to hit. Don't worry, this is not the end. There will be much more interaction between the lab rats and much more Sabrina. We still have a ways to go before this story is done. It takes a while to repair relationships, but it's always worth it in the end.

Tell me what you guys think! Reviews help me to post sooner!


	14. Chapter 14

Lab Rats

Chapter 14

Neither passenger nor driver spoke during the trip to Mission Creek High School. Chase spent the ride staring out the window, pondering on what his day would be like. Would his siblings talk to him after he left home so suddenly? Would they ignore him? Would he even see them at all? Maybe they would just avoid him all day and he would have no interactions with them whatsoever.

How would Sabrina react to him moving out and living with Douglas? Would she push him away too? Gosh, he hoped not. Sabrina had been his rock. She was what pushed him to try to repair what had been broken. Without her, he wasn't sure he would get anywhere. She reminded him of what was important. She gave him hope that things could get better if he would just put forth the effort it took to begin fixing what had been damaged.

The car stopped in front of the school. Douglas turned to Chase and spoke. "Well, good luck kid. I'll try to get the capsule situation worked out."

Chase stalled. "I don't have to go to school today. I'm ahead of schedule and I could help you with getting a capsule for me. Two heads are better than one, you know."

Douglas smiled. "Yes, I know. But you need to go to school. We are taking a little space from the rest of our family, but we still need to be around them if we want things to work out."

Chase sighed and got out of the car. He swung his bag onto his shoulder. He turned back to Douglas. "Alright, but call me if you need anything. I'm more than willing to drop everything and come help."

"Including that girl who's been sitting on the steps waiting for you since we got here?" Douglas chuckled.

Chase turned and saw Sabrina sitting in front of the building. She was scrolling through something on her phone. Her other hand was holding up her head. She glanced up and saw Chase looking back at her. She smiled and stood, putting her phone in her back pocket and putting on her book bag. She walked over to the car. "Hey, Chase." She leaned down to see Douglas in the car. "Hello, Mr. Davenport!"

Douglas replied, "Douglas is fine. Donald goes by Mr. Davenport. He's always been so formal."

Sabrina stood up straight and looked around. "Where's everyone else? I don't see them anywhere."

Chase stuttered. "Um, let's go inside and I'll explain everything there."

Sabrina's face shifted into concern. "Alright. Is everything okay?"

Chase paused. "I'm not really sure. Let's just go inside."

* * *

So, you're left home because you need space from your family and you're living with Douglas now?" Sabrina questioned, crossing her legs.

"Yeah," Chase replied. "I'm kinda surprised you're taking this so well." He tapped his fingers on the plastic table. The lunch room smelled of cheap, "healthy" breakfast food.

"I'm not sure that I am. I'm a little confused. It just doesn't make sense to me that you're trying to fix your relationship with your family… by avoiding your family."

"We're not avoiding them. Douglas just thought he was creating more trouble by being there and I just need a little space from them right now. I think it will help both parties here," Chase explained.

Sabrina shook her head. "Okay, it still doesn't make much sense to me, but I trust your judgment. If you think this is what's best for you, then so do I."

Chase smiled faintly. "Thanks, Sabrina. That means a lot."

"But if I think it's not working, then I'm taking charge, understand? Don't believe – for one second – that I won't get the school counselors involved," Sabrina replied. "If I see things going south, or even if I don't see any improvement at all, I will tell them."

Chase grinned and laughed. "Alright, I believe you! And I'll hold you to that."

Sabrina smiled back at him. She looked down at the table where their hands were resting and her grin faltered for a moment. She slid her hand over to Chase's and grabbed it, entwining their fingers.

Chase inhaled sharply at the contact. He looked down at their hands, shocked at what he saw. The only other times she had held his hand was when he needed reassurance, comfort, or encouragement. This was different. It was something more. He wasn't quite sure what it meant.

Sabrina let go, after hearing his reaction. "I'm sorry. Is that not okay?" She put her hands in her lap. "Gosh, I'm so sorry. I thought that…"

Chase's eyes widened when she let go. "No! It's fine. Absolutely fine," Chase paused and looked away, blushing. "I kinda liked it."

Sabrina blushed and grabbed his hand again. "Oh. Oh, good. I liked it too." She smiled and scooted her chair closer to his and looped her hand under his arm to intertwine their fingers once more.

Chase smiled and chuckled softly. He liked it _a lot_.

* * *

The two remained in the same position and talked about whatever came to mind for a few more minutes. Sabrina laughed at any nerdy jokes and puns that Chase made, while he listened intently to everything that came from Sabrina's lips.

_She's so smart. _He thought. _It's really nice to talk to someone who can have an intelligent conversation with me and not tease me while doing so._

He was about to express his thoughts when his siblings appeared in the doorway. He looked at them, his smile dropping.

"What? Is something wrong?" Sabrina asked, noticing his change in behavior.

"I sure hope not," Chase muttered.

The blonde turned around to see the other Davenports staring back at Chase. "Hey, guys! Why don't you come sit with us?" she said.

Chase leaned towards her and whispered, "Um, I'm not sure that's the best idea right now."

Leo spoke next. "I think that's a great idea. Come on, guys. Let's go sit with Sabrina and Chase."

Bree walked to the table in silence, following close behind Leo. Adam groaned and followed as well, dragging his backpack across the floor.

When the three sat down, Sabrina turned back to Chase. "Isn't this nice?"

Chase said nothing, avoiding eye contact with his siblings.

Apart from Leo, the other Davenports reacted the same. Leo replied, "It is _very _nice, Sabrina. Thank you for inviting us." He elbowed Bree in the arm.

Bree yelped and grabbed where she had been hit. "Oh yeah. It's just great getting the whole gang back together again."

Adam remained silent until Leo cleared his throat and asked if he agreed. "Whatever. I don't really care."

Chase looked down. "Why am I not surprised?" he sighed.

Adam suddenly turned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You never care about anything that matters. The only things you see as important are food and how close you can get to breaking your "how-many-times-can-I-belittle-Chase-in-a-day" record!" Chase slammed his free hand against the table.

"That's not true!" Adam defended. "You forgot about beating my bionic brother toss record."

Bree stood. "Alright, stop it! Both of you! We are all trying to get along here. Adam, you need to apologize! And Chase," Bree paused, pondering what she should say. She let out a sigh and spoke. "How could you just leave us behind? You left before we could really try to do anything to fix this."

"That's part of the reason I left. We weren't trying to do anything at all. No actions were being taken. And I just need some space. I need a little time to myself and Douglas presented that opportunity to me so I took it. Eventually, you will all see that this was a good action to take," Chase spoke calmly, trying to restore some peace back to the group. "I need some time away from you guys. I need to be left alone so I can do some reparations myself."

Bree sat back down. "Alright," she huffed. "I guess I can't really argue with that. I know exactly how you feel."

Silence fell across the table. Moments passed and nothing was said.

Leo broke the silence. "So, what's it like living with Douglas?"

Chase chuckled. _Same old Leo._ "Well, I've only been living with him for a few hours. I don't really know yet. But, he does know how to make toast perfectly."

Th bell sounded, signaling for the students to go to their first classes of the day. The group stood and pushed their chairs back under the table.

Sabrina waved to the others and said, "We'll see you at lunch time!"

Sabrina and Chase walked out of the lunchroom hand in hand. The two said nothing for a while. When they reached the top of the stairs, Chase stopped. Knowing that they had to part ways to get to their respective classes, Chase asked a burning question. He lifted their entwined hands and said, "Sabrina, what does this mean?"

Sabrina giggled. "Um, I guess it means that I like you."

"Does it mean anything else?" Chase questioned.

"It could if you want it to. But, I think we should take things slow right now and not call it anything quite yet."

Chase grinned. "Okay. If that's what you want." He let their hands fall back down.

"It is, Chase. I hope it's something you want too," Sabrina looked down.

Chase froze. "Oh, uh… yeah! Of course! I definitely want that! I mean, I just…"

Sabrina laughed. "You're cute, Chase. I hope you know that." She released his hand and grabbed her bookbag strap. "Anyway, I have to get to my English class. I have to give my report on George Orwell's 1984 today. Wish me luck!"

Chase was frozen in his place. She thought he was cute. He blushed bright red. A goofy grin flooded his countenance. _She thinks I'm cute. And she like holding my hand. And she wants it to mean something more…_ Chase shook himself out of his thoughts. He turned and walked down the hallway to his first class, beaming with happiness.

* * *

Chase's dreamy grin didn't drop until lunch time. He found himself sitting at a table all alone. His food sat untouched in front of him. The grin remained spread across his features as he picked at the lettuce sticking out of his sandwich. He poked and prodded, nudging the green leaves from side to side underneath the bread.

A chair scraped against the floor next to him. He snapped his head up to see Sabrina pulling the chair back and sitting down. Chase was sure he had never grinned bigger in his life.

"Hey," Sabrina grinned back. She laid her lunch tray down on the table and set her bag down on the floor. "How has your day been?"

"Good! Really good." Chase stopped and blushed. "Even better now that you're here."

Sabrina blushed as well and grabbed his hand, rubbing her thumb across the boy's knuckles. "Mine too."

Leo appeared on the other side of Chase, Adam and Bree right behind him. "Hey, guys. How's life going?" He looked down and saw their entwined hands and smiled. "Ah. Very well I see."

"Yeah," Chase replied. "How about –"

Adam leaned down, eyes widening at their hands. "Wait, you guys are a thing now?"

The two blushed. Sabrina said, "Well, not just yet. We haven't made anything official but maybe s-"

Adam threw his head back and laughed. "This is too good! Chasey finally got himself a girlfriend!" He sat down at the table and locked his fingers under his chin, mocking intrigue. "What did you bribe her with, baby bro? Homework? Tutoring? Because there is no way anyone would ever date you of their own free will!" He leaned back in his chair and laughed again, wiping tears from his eyes.

Chase growled and let go of Sabrina's hand. "Shut up, Adam."

Sabrina scowled. "Adam, Chase didn't have to bribe me with anything. I happen to like him for who he is."

"Right, because scrawny, little, know-it-alls get all the pretty ones! Maybe you're just from an alien planet! Ahaha!" Adam cackled.

Chase stood up and exclaimed. "Leave Sabrina alone, you ignorant meathead! You're one to talk anyway! I got one before you ever did!"

Leo stood up and put himself between his quarreling step-brothers. "Hey, cut it out! Both of you!"

Bree stood and said, "Yeah. I agree with Leo. This won't solve anything."

Chase gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You're right. Fighting this way won't fix any problems that we're having. But this might."

_CRACK!_

Chase's right fist swung up faster than it had ever moved before – even when in the control of his commando app. Before anyone even knew what was happening, Chase's punch hit the oldest lab rat in the right eye.

Adam stumbled back grabbing at his face and crying out. "_Ow! _What the heck, Chase?"

Chase stepped back and shook his hand. He smiled. "Don't pretend like you weren't asking for it. I'm sick of you pushing me around and making fun of me." He pushed his stunned siblings out of the way and marched up to his brother, jamming his finger into his chest. "From now on, you'll get what's coming to you when you bully me."

Chase turned around and grabbed Sabrina's hand, tugging her from the lunch room. He let out a sigh, feeling a huge burden lifting from his shoulders.

Adam's voice sounded from the lunchroom. "I think he broke my nose."

* * *

A/N: I don't know about you guys, but I think that hit has been a long time coming. It felt really good to write and I didn't even do it!

Anyway, tell me what you think. Leave a review and share with your friends! I love feedback!


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